GIFT   OF 
A.   P.   Morrison 


SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 
CHURCHES    OF    GREATER   BOSTON 


Sketches  of  Some  Historic 
Churches  of  Greater  Boston 


THE  BEACON  PRESS 

25  BEACON  STREET 

BOSTON,  MASS. 


^rf^i> 


/d''' 


Copyright,  1918,  by 
THE  BEACON  PRESS,  INC. 


All  rights  reserved 

GIFT  OP 


a.y. 


t         etc 


PREFACE 

In  recognition  of  the  fact  that  April,  1916,  marked 
the  seventy-fifth  anniversary  of  the  founding,  by  James 
Freeman  Clarke,  of  the  Church  of  the  Disciples,  our 
Alliance  Branch  took  for  its  program  that  year  a  survey 
of  the  history  of  some  of  the  churches  of  Greater  Bos- 
ton, to  close  with  the  history  of  our  own  church. 

So  far  as  possible,  appropriateness  was  considered  in 
assigning  the  churches  to  our  Alliance  members.  This 
is  immediately  recognized  in  Miss  Eva  Channing's  pre- 
paring the  paper  on  the  Arlington  Street  Church,  Mrs. 
Christopher  Eliot's  on  Bulfinch  Place  Church,  and  Mrs. 
Clara  Bancroft  Beatley's  on  the  Church  of  the  Disciples. 

These  papers  make  no  pretense  to  being  complete; 
most  are  compilations,  but  all  are  readable  and  interest- 
ing. Practically  all  were  read  at  the  church  about 
which  they  were  written,  and  some  at  many  others.  It 
is  in  response  to  a  quite  large  demand  that  the  papers 
be  printed  together  that  the  present  volume  appears. 

As  making  the  story  more  complete,  three  sketches 
have  been  added  to  the  original  group — an  account  of 
the  Disciples  School  and  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eliot's  long 
connection  with  Bulfinch  Place  Church,  both  modestly 
omitted  by  the  writers  on  those  churches,  and  the  history 
of  the  First  Church  in  Cambridge,  kindly  given  by  Mrs. 
Gerould. 

Katharine  Gibbs  Allbn. 


M95591 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS 


The  Beginninj?s  of  Unitarianism 
in  New  England 

King's  Chapel 

Founded  in  1686 

Arlington  Street  Church 
(Federal  Street  Church) 
Founded  in  1729 

First  Church  in  Boston 

Founded  in  1630 

West  Church 

Founded  in  1747 

Second  Church  in  Boston 
Founded  in  1649 

South  Congregational  Society 
Founded  in  1828 
(Hollis  Street  Church) 
Founded  in  1732 

First  Church  in  Roxbury 
Founded  in  1631 

First  Parish,  West  Roxbury 

(Theodore  Parker's  Church) 
Founded  in  1632 

First  Parish  of  Dorchester 
(Meeting  House  Hill) 
Founded  in  1630 

Buliinch  Place  Church 

Founded  in  1826 
Rev.  and  Mrs.  Eliot's  Services 

First  Parish  and  First  Church  in 
Cambridge 

Founded  in  1636 

Church  of  the  Disciples 
Founded  in  1841 
The  Disciples  School 


Katharine  G.  Allen 
Katharine  G.  Allen 

Eva  Channing 
Edith  F.  McCormack 
Lucy  G.  Wadsworth 
Anne  T.  Bierstadt 
Helen  L  Allen 

Nora  Mower  Gallagher 
Helen  D.  Orvia 

Emily  B.  Homer 

Mary  May  Eliot 
Edith  L.  Jones 

Florence  R.  Gerould 

Clara  Bancroft  Beatley 
Clara  T.  Guild 


UNITARIANISM  IN  NEW. 
ENGLAND*   .    . 


Strictly  speaking,  the  Unitarian  movement 
in  New  England  began  after  the  Great  Awak- 
ening in  1735.  It  was  not  a  secession,  as  in 
England,  but  a  gradual  growth  from  the 
Congregational  order.  When  the  Puritans  at 
Plymouth,  Boston,  and  Salem  broke  with  the 
traditional  authority  of  church  and  state  and 
established  their  own  private  judgment  of 
God's  Word  in  the  Bible  as  their  guide,  when 
they  bound  themselves  together  by  covenants 
and  not  by  creeds,  the  seeds  of  liberalism  were 
planted  which  afterwards  bore  the  fruit  of 
Unitarianism. 

The  three  pioneer  churches  mentioned 
above,  all  now  Unitarian,  exist  to-day  under 
their  original  covenants.  That  of  Plymouth  is 
typical  and  reads:  "We  do  hereby  solemnly 
and  religiously,  as  in  his  most  holy  presence, 
avouch  the  Lord  Jehovah,  the  only  true  God, 
to  be  our  God  and  the  God  of  ours;  and  do 

*A  Resume  of  Some  Chapters  of  Joseph  Henry 
Allen's  "An  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Unitarian  Move- 
ment Since  the  Reformation.*' 


10  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

promise  and  bind  ourselves  to  walk  in  all  our 
wityg  fiticording  to  the  rule  of  the  gospel,  and 
in  all  sincere  conformity  to  his  holy  ordinances, 
and  in  iriuttial  love  and  watchfulness  over  one 
another,  depending  wholly  upon  the  Lord  our 
God  to  enable  us  by  his  grace  hereunto."  They 
were  to  walk  together  according  to  the  rule  of 
the  gospel,  but  each  is  left  free  to  interpret 
that  rule  for  himself. 

The  aim  of  Winthrop  and  his  friends  in 
coming  to  Massachusetts,  says  John  Fiske, 
was  the  construction  of  a  theocratic  state  which 
should  be  to  Christians  under  the  New  Testa- 
ment dispensation  all  that  the  theocracy  of 
Moses  and  Joshua  and  Samuel  had  been  to  the 
Jews  in  Old  Testament  days.  In  such  a 
scheme  there  was  no  room  for  religious  liberty. 
The  Puritans  were,  perhaps,  bigoted  and  in- 
tolerant, but  for  my  part  I  am  devoutly  grate- 
ful that  they  stood  for  their  ideals  so  stead- 
fastly that  they  furnished  the  religious  leaven 
of  our  whole  American  life.  It  is  rather  the 
fashion  now  to  say  that  they  came  to  Massa- 
chusetts to  secure  religious  liberty  for  them- 
selves and  denied  it  to  others.  This  statement 
shows  an  entire  misunderstanding  of  them  and 
of  their  motives.  Bigoted  they  were,  but  in- 
consistent they  never  were. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  11 

There  was  a  body  of  doctrine,  largely  Cal- 
vinistic,  which  was  generally  if  not  universally 
accepted  by  the  Colonial  churches,  and  in- 
fringements of  this  were  punished.  Anne 
Hutchinson  was  banished  for  insisting  upon  an 
exaggerated  form  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Free 
Spirit,  a  foreshadowing  of  transcendentalism. 
The  period  of  banishment  and  persecution 
went  by,  in  that  form,  with  the  passing  of  the 
witchcraft  delusion. 

In  1680  a  synod  of  elders  and  delegates  rep- 
resenting the  five  New  England  Colonies  met 
in  Boston  and  drafted  a  Confession  of  Faith. 
It  could  not,  however,  be  imposed  upon  the 
churches,  who  accepted  what  they  pleased  of 
it  and  incorporated  it  with  their  covenant. 

Before  the  Revolution  there  was  more  fear 
for  the  secularizing  of  church  life  than  for  doc- 
trinal heresy.  With  the  advent  of  the  Royal 
Governors  there  were  new  distinctions  of  rank 
and  an  increased  circulation  of  English  books, 
including  those  of  Thomas  Emlyn,  amiable 
victim  and  sufferer  of  that  day  for  the  Uni- 
tarian faith.  Great  freedom  of  opinion  in  the 
churches  came  about  partly  owing  to  the  form 
of  their  covenants  and  partly  to  the  fact  that 
political  questions  were  so  much  more  vital  and 
absorbing  than  theological  ones,  particularly 


12  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

as  events  and  feelings  strengthened  for  the  im- 
pending revolution.  Such  discussion  as  there 
was  tm-ned  largely  upon  the  Atonement  and 
not  upon  the  Trinity. 

It  was  said  that  just  before  the  Revolution 
"it  might  be  said  that  every  man  of  very  wide 
and  strong  influence  in  public  life,  with  pos- 
sibly the  exception  of  Samuel  Adams,  'last  of 
the  Puritans,'  from  Benjamin  Frankhn,  the 
friend  of  Lindsey  and  of  Priestley,  to  Thomas 
Jefferson,  was  a  confirmed  disbehever  in  the 
Puritan  theology." 

There  were  vigorous  protests  against  this 
laxity  by  Cotton  Mather,  and  especially  by 
Jonathan  Edwards  of  Northampton,  under 
whose  powerful  influence  occurred  the  Great 
Awakening  of  1735,  which  is  thought  to  have 
led  the  way,  through  reaction  to  its  extrava- 
gances, to  the  liberal  theology  which  followed. 
So  quickly  did  this  come  about  that  George 
Whitefield,  the  English  revivalist  who  came  to 
assist  Edwards,  at  the  end  of  his  first  visit  gave 
a  farewell  discourse  on  Boston  Common  to  a 
crowd  of  20,000  eager  Usteners.  Six  years 
afterwards  Edwards  was  driven  by  the  reac- 
tion which  took  place  to  an  exile  among  the 
Indians    at    Stockbridge.      In    1754,    upon 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  13 

Whitefield's  third  visit  to  Boston,  he  could  not 
get  an  audience. 

A  new  gospel  of  reason  was  being  preached 
by  Jonathan  Mayhew  of  the  West  Church,  the 
boldest  preacher  of  his  day.  Joseph  Henry 
Allen  says  that  Charles  Chauncy  of  the  First 
Church  was  the  intellectual  leader  of  this  peri- 
od, but  Mayhew  was  its  effective  champion. 
Religious  thought  was  broadened  more  widely 
in  Massachusetts  by  commerce  than  by  con- 
troversy, however.  Some  of  the  most  promi- 
nent citizens  of  the  settlements,  notably  of 
Salem,  were  connected  with  commerce,  that 
great  liberalizer.  They  were  quick  to  be  im- 
pressed by  contact  with  the  old  world  civiliza- 
tions with  a  broad  tolerance  for  alien  faiths. 

One  of  the  chief  events  of  this  period  was 
the  act  of  the  proprietors  of  King's  Chapel  by 
which  the  first  Episcopal  Church  in  New  Eng- 
land became  the  first  Unitarian  Church  in 
America.  In  1785,  prepared  beforehand  by  a 
course  of  lectures  given  by  their  lay  reader, 
Mr.  Freeman,  the  church  voted  to  strike  out 
from  the  service  whatever  teaches  or  implies 
the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  Mr.  Freeman, 
soon  afterwards  ordained  as  minister,  became 
an  active  propagandist  of  the  Unitarian  doc- 
trine. 


U  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

For  the  next  twenty  years  the  current  of 
liberalism  broadens,  but,  although  in  Boston 
only  one  in  nine  ministers  of  the  Congregation- 
al order  could  be  said  to  be  orthodox,  and  in 
Plymouth  County  only  one  out  of  twenty,  as 
yet  there  was  no  break  with  the  Congregation- 
al order.  This  was  for  two  reasons.  The 
churches  appreciated  to  the  full  the  advantages 
of  being  members  in  good  standing  of  an  es- 
tablished order,  and  they  honestly  distrusted 
English  Unitarianism  and  did  not  choose  to 
wear  its  name.  Priestley's  "Materialism"  was 
an  object  of  dread  to  them.  They  were  called 
lukewarm  by  their  more  outspoken  English 
sympathizers. 

This  period  of  neutrality  was  broken  by  the 
appointment  of  Henry  Ware,  Jr.,  as  Hollis 
Professor  of  Divinity  at  Harvard  College  in 
1805.  Followed,  as  it  was,  by  four  other  liber- 
al appointments  within  the  next  two  years,  it 
made  Harvard  the  headquarters  of  intellectual 
and  religious  liberalism  in  America.  This 
raised  a  storm  and  resulted  in  the  establish- 
ment of  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  whose 
orthodoxy  is  protected  by  the  periodical  sign- 
ing of  its  creed  by  each  of  its  instructors.  The 
liberal  party,  however,  were  and  are  justly 
tenacious  of  their  right  of  membership  in  the 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  15 

historic  Congregational  order,  and  in  Massa- 
chusetts this  has  never  been  denied  them. 

Two  sharp  shocks  now  broke  the  uneasy 
truce  so  studiously  kept.  The  first  was  the 
publication  of  Belsham's  "Life  of  Lindsey," 
which  in  its  chapter  on  "American  Unitarian- 
ism"  gave  correspondence  between  New  Eng- 
land liberals  and  Enghsh  Unitarians,  showing 
a  much  closer  alHance  between  the  two  move- 
ments than  had  been  admitted.  The  hberals 
were  now  compelled  to  take  the  name  Unitari- 
an. This  they  did  with  reluctance,  but  the  im- 
mediate eifect  of  this  step  was  to  awaken  in 
them  a  sense  of  courage  and  of  strength. 

The  second  was  the  decision  rendered  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts  in  1820,  that 
"when  the  majority  of  the  members  of  a  Con- 
gregational church  shall  separate  from  the 
majority  of  the  parish,  the  members  who  re- 
main, although  a  minority,  constitute  the 
church  in  such  parish,  and  retain  the  rights  and 
property  belonging  thereto."  This  decision 
was  bitterly  resented  for  it  seemed  to  lend  the 
hand  of  the  law  to  help  the  liberal  party. 

The  general  results  of  this  period  are 
best  given  in  the  words  of  Lyman  Beecher 
who  came  to  Park  Street  Church  in  1823  to 
strengthen  the  cause  of  orthodoxy.  He  writes : 


16  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

"All  the  literary  men  of  Massachusetts  were 
Unitarian;  all  the  trustees  and  professors  of 
Harvard  College  were  Unitarian ;  all  the  elite 
of  wealth  and  fashion  crowded  Unitarian 
Churches;  the  judges  on  the  bench  were  Uni- 
tarian, giving  decisions  by  which  the  pecuhar 
features  of  church  organization  so  carefully 
ordered  by  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  had  been  nulh- 
fied,  and  all  the  power  had  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  congregation." 

At  the  installation  of  Jared  Sparks  in 
Baltimore  in  1819,  Channing  preached  his 
epoch-making  sermon  which  clarified  the  Uni- 
tarian position  and  showed  them  exactly  where 
they  stood.  He  dealt  with  the  unreason  of 
the  Trinity,  the  confusion  of  Christ's  double 
nature,  the  conflict  of  justice  and  mercy  in 
the  Divine  nature,  the  moral  enormity  of  the 
Atonement,  and  the  true  nature  of  salvation 
as  being  a  moral  or  spiritual  condition  of  the 
soul.  It  gave  no  positive  doctrine.  The  great 
impression  it  made  was  not  on  account  of  its 
argument  but  on  account  of  its  positive  and 
aggressive  tone  and  its  total  lack  of  apology. 
Thenceforth  it  became  the  keynote  for  Uni- 
tarianism* 

From  this  time  on,  the  break  between 
Unitarian  and  Trinitarian  was  gradually  wid- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  17 

ening.  The  orthodox  position  was  greatly- 
strengthened  by  the  coming  of  Lyman  Beecher 
to  "Brimstone  Corner"  and  by  the  years  of 
orthodox  revival  which  followed.  But  the 
Unitarians  were  well  satisfied  with  the  undis- 
puted social  and  political  ascendency  they  pos- 
sessed and  which  was  so  well  described  by 
Dr.  Beecher. 

Channing's  theology  was  not  doctrinal,  but 
rather  a  law  of  hf e  making  character  a  funda- 
mental requirement.  It  had  a  particular  ap- 
peal for  the  best  minds  of  New  England  and 
those  who  embraced  it  made  a  group  which 
was  and  is  the  glory  of  Boston.  The  names 
of  Adams,  Quincy,  Bigelow,  Shaw,  Lowell, 
Prescott,  Holmes,  Howe,  Longfellow,  Mann, 
Dix,  and  Tuckerman  are  names  of  which  our 
church  is  justly  proud.  They  show  perhaps, 
says  Mr.  Allen,  not  so  much  the  power  of  the 
Unitarian  faith  as  the  soil  and  atmosphere  in 
which  it  thrived. 

In  1832,  when  the  heat  of  the  first  contro- 
versy was  dying  out,  came  the  the  first  open 
break  with  the  old  congregational  order. 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson  who  had  been  three 
years  pastor  of  the  Second  Church,  resigned 
his  charge  on  the  refusal  of  his  church  to  dis- 
continue the  Communion  Service  or  to  radi- 


18  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

cally  change  it.  In  his  farewell  sermon  he 
showed  that  he  did  not  object  to  the  service  as 
a  service,  but  that  he  did  object  to  its  being 
considered  a  sacrament  and  that  he  did  object 
to  its  customary  form.  This  address  was  a 
shock  even  to  many  Unitarians  to  whom  the 
service  was  precious  and  by  whom  it  was  ac- 
cepted without  question.  Six  years  later  he 
delivered  the  most  celebrated  and  influential 
of  all  his  public  discourses  to  the  graduating 
class  of  the  Harvard  Divinity  School.  "This," 
says  Joseph  Henry  Allen,  "was  the  frankest 
challenge  ever  yet  thrown  down  to  the  tradi- 
tional views  of  the  Divine  Nature,  Jesus, 
Christianity,  or  the  office  of  the  church;  and 
it  proved  the  melodious,  effective  prelude  to 
a  conflict  of  opinion  that  has  far  more  deeply 
than  any  other  stirred  the  current  of  rehgious 
thought." 

Controversy  was  now  in  the  air  and  a 
great  discussion  began,  largely  in  print.  This, 
though  open  to  the  public,  was  mostly  to 
scholars,  critics,  and  students  of  theology.  But 
in  1841,  at  another  ordination,  that  of  the  Rev. 
Charles  C.  Shackford  of  South  Boston,  Theo- 
dore Parker  preached  another  epoch-making 
sermon  when  he  preached  on  "The  Transient 
and  Permanent  in  Christianity."  This  brought 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  19 

the  most  radical  questions  of  critical  theology 
directly  before  the  popular  mind,  and  appealed 
them  to  popular  judgment  and  withal,  confi- 
dently and  rehgiously.  The  miracles  of  Jesus 
were  brought  to  the  level  of  an  ordinary  ma- 
gician's and  his  virgin  birth  was  compared  to 
that  of  Hercules,  son  of  Jove. 

The  effect  of  this  address  was  an  immediate 
rending  of  the  ranks  of  Unitarians  themselves. 
"Now  we  have  a  Unitarian  orthodoxy,"  was 
Channing's  comment  in  anticipation  of  the  de- 
bate which  followed. 

To  the  work  of  tearing  down  the  super- 
natural and  of  preaching  "pure  religion,"  as 
he  saw  it,  Theodore  Parker  gave  the  next  fif- 
teen years  of  his  life  and  even  that  life  itself. 
The  angry  prejudice  aroused  by  his  frank  and 
sometimes  needless  affronts  pushed  him  into  a 
prominence  and  influence  that  no  denomina- 
tional boundaries  could  permit.  Channing 
was  in  doubt  whether  to  call  Parker  a  Chris- 
tian though,  he  esteemed  him  as  a  friend. 

The  great  upheaval  within  Unitarianism 
itself,  which  Parker  brought  about,  did  not,  as 
was  expected,  divide  the  body  but  it  did  cause 
the  withdrawal  of  many  younger  and  brighter 
minds  and  it  weakened  the  unity  and  conse- 
quent strength  of  the  body.     It  freed  Uni- 


20  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

tarianism  forever,  however,  from  bondage  to 
old  ideas  and  traditions. 

With  the  death  of  Parker,  the  dramatic  and 
picturesque  in  the  history  of  Unitarianism  in 
New  England  passes. 

A  great  change  in  Unitarian  thought  was 
brought  about  by  the  study  of  the  writings  of 
Darwin  and  Spencer  and  by  the  philosophical 
writings  of  Frederick  Henry  Hedge. 

But  Unitarianism  has  always  been  a  move- 
ment towards  a  larger  intellectual  and  reli- 
gious life,  free  from  all  restraints  imposed 
upon  it  by  doctrinal  systems,  and  many  of  its 
followers  have  been  unwilling  to  press  its  ac- 
ceptance upon  others.  So  it  has  come  about 
that  this  work  has  often  been  done  by  those 
who  have  come  to  it  in  maturity  and  from 
other  communions.  These  have  felt,  more 
than  those  to  whom  it  was  a  birthright,  the 
value  of  a  freedom  purchased  sometimes  at  a 
great  price. 

Speaking  of  present  day  Unitarianism,  Rev. 
O.  B.  Frothingham  says:  "The  new  Unitarian- 
ism is  neither  sentimental  nor  transcendental 
nor  traditional.  It  calls  itself  Unitarian  sim- 
ply because  that  name  suggests  freedom  and 
breadth  and  progress  and  elasticity  and  joy. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  21 

Another  name  might  do  as  well,  perhaps  be 
more  accurately  descriptive.  But  no  other 
would  be  so  impressive,  or  on  the  whole  so 
honorable." 


22  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

KING'S    CHAPEL 

For  fifty  years  the  Puritans  in  New  Eng- 
land tried  their  experiment  in  theocracy  un- 
molested. Then  Charles  II.,  feeling  himself 
secure  on  the  throne,  annulled  the  charter  of 
the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  appointed 
Joseph  Dudley  President  of  all  New  Eng- 
land, virtually  a  royal  governor,  and  deter- 
mined to  establish  the  Church  of  England  in 
Boston.  In  the  month  of  May,  1686,  came  the 
Rev.  Robert  Ratcliffe  from  London  to  have 
charge  of  an  Episcopal  church  in  Boston.  His 
reception  could  hardly  be  said  to  be  cordial. 
The  people  of  Boston  hated  anything  savoring 
of  Episcopacy,  for  they  dreaded  it  as  an  open- 
ing wedge  to  the  establishing  over  them  of  the 
civil  and  religious  despotism  which  had  borne 
so  hard  upon  them  in  England.  "The  foun- 
dation of  an  Episcopal  church  in  Boston,"  says 
Howard  Brown,  "was  about  as  welcome  as  a 
pest  house  would  be  in  a  thickly  settled  com- 
munity." 

Mr.  Ratcliffe  on  his  arrival  attempted  to 
secure  one  of  the  meeting  houses  of  the  town 
for  his  use.  There  were  three  societies,  all 
flourishing  and  strong, — ^the  First,  Second  and 
Third — this   latter,   now  known   as  the   Old 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  23 

South,  was  a  split  from  the  other  two  and  the 
strongest  of  all.  Not  one  of  them  would  give 
its  building  for  the  use  of  the  church,  so  the 
library  of  the  Town  House,  standing  where 
the  Old  State  House  now  stands,  was  taken, 
and  there  the  Episcopal  service  was  first  pub- 
licly read  in  Boston.  A  goodly  crowd  came, 
partly  through  curiosity,  but  there  was  of  the 
congregation  also  a  good  number  of  substan- 
tial persons,  as  was  shown  by  their  definitely 
organizing  the  next  month,  so  that  June  15, 
1686,  may  be  reckoned  the  birthday  of  King's 
Chapel.  The  new  church  grew  at  the  rate  of 
six  or  seven  baptisms  a  week,  and,  soon  out- 
growing the  Town  House,  began  to  raise 
money  for  a  building  of  its  own.  In  Decem- 
ber came  Governor  Andros,  the  first  fully 
commissioned  Royal  Governor.  He  was  a 
tremendous  accession  to  the  ranks  of  the 
Episcopalians. 

He  sent  almost  immediately  for  the  minis- 
ters of  the  three  Congregational  churches  and 
demanded  one  of  them  for  his  society.  They 
took  two  days  to  consider  his  demand,  then 
returned  to  say  that  they  could  not  give  him 
any  one  of  them.  Three  months  later  the 
Governor  decided  upon  the  Old  South,  and 
when   the    prominent    laymen    of   this    body 


24  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

showed  him  that  they  owned  the  property  and 
that  they  proposed  to  occupy  it  themselves,  he 
got  hold  of  the  sexton  and  took  his  keys.  The 
following  Friday,  Good  Friday,  the  bell  was 
rung,  and  Mr.  RatcUffe  proceeded  to  read  the 
regular  morning  service  in  the  Governor's 
presence.  The  usurpation  begun  at  this  time 
lasted  two  years.  Governor  Andros  probably 
took  some  satisfaction  in  leaving  the  Old 
South  congregation  in  the  street  to  wait  for 
the  long  service  and  the  long  sermon  to  be 
finished  before  they  could  have  their  church, 
but  after  a  while  he  relented  and  fixed  the 
liturgical  service  at  such  an  hour  that  the 
rightful  owners  could  have  it  before  noon. 

Meanwhile  steps  were  taken  to  provide  the 
society  with  a  building  of  its  own,  but  no  one 
of  its  members  owned  land  suitable  for  the 
church,  and  no  Congregationalist  would  sell 
them  any.  Andros  again  interfered,  and  when 
money  enough  was  raised  the  Governor's 
Council  set  apart  a  corner  of  the  burying 
ground  as  a  place  where  it  might  be  erected. 
The  foundation  was  laid  there  in  1688,  and 
there  King's  Chapel  has  been  ever  since. 

Public  service  was  first  held  June  30,  1689, 
in  a  wooden  building  erected  on  the  spot,  the 
society  being  three  years  old.     The  wooden 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  25 

structure  resembled  somewhat  the  present  one, 
only  it  was  smaller.  The  pews  were  of  the 
same  fashion,  but  surmounted  by  a  railing 
with  a  curtain  attached,  making  the  divisions 
between  the  pews  higher  than  now.  The  pul- 
pit and  communion  table  were  the  same  that 
are  in  use  in  the  present  church,  so  the  King's 
Chapel  pulpit  may  claim  to  be  the  oldest  in  the 
country  which  has  been  in  constant  use. 

Just  as  the  new  church  was  finished  came, 
in  England,  the  Revolution,  which  placed 
William  of  Orange  on  the  throne,  and  the  peo- 
ple of  New  England  rose  against  Andros  and 
put  him,  Mr.  Ratcliff e  and  some  of  the  promi- 
nent members  of  his  congregation  into  the 
prison  on  Fort  Hill,  where  the  addition  to  the 
City  Hall  now  stands.  Here  were  imprisoned 
at  different  times  the  Quakers,  the  witches  and 
the  pirate  Captain  Kidd,  and  this  is  the  prison 
described  by  Hawthorne  in  his  "The  Scarlet 
Letter."  After  nine  months  Andros,  Rat- 
cliffe  and  the  King's  Chapel  parishioners  were 
sent  to  England  by  Royal  command. 

The  new  Governor,  Sir  William  Phipps, 
was  decidedly  of  the  Congregational  way  of 
thinking,  and  King's  Chapel  went  into  eclipse 
for  a  time.  The  ministers  of  the  town  thun- 
dered against  it,  and  its  windows  were  repeat- 


26  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

edly  broken.     It  is  a  wonder  that  it  survived 
the  storm.    At  this  juncture  the  church  owed 
much  to  Samuel  Myles,  who  came  to  be  its 
first  real  minister,  and  continued  thirty-nine 
years  in  this  office.     He  was  a  native  of  New 
England,  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  and  son  of 
a   Baptist   minister.     He   had   taught    some 
years   in   Charlestown,   and  while   there  had 
probably  come   under  the   influence   of   Mr. 
Ratcliffe.    He  was  lay  reader  for  four  years, 
then  went  to  England,  where  he  spent  four 
years,  partly  in  study  at  Oxford  and  partly 
soliciting  help  for  his  struggling  flock.     In 
this  latter  he  was  successful,  for  he  enlisted 
the  sympathy  of  the  King  and  Queen.     He 
brought  back  a  Royal  grant  of  a  hundred 
pounds  a  year,   furnishings  for  the   chapel, 
books,     and     cushions,     and     carpets     and 
altar  cloths  in  goodly  store.    Even  greater 
gifts    from    William    and    Mary    soon  fol- 
lowed    him    across    the    sea.      First     came 
a  very  handsome  set  of    communion    silver. 
This    continued    in    use    till    another    Royal 
patron  proved  still  more  munificent,  when  the 
first  silver  was  in  part  distributed  among  other 
neighboring   churches.     A  handsome   flagon 
and   cup  were   given  to   Christ's   Church  in 
Cambridge,  where  they  may  be  seen  duly  in- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  27 

scribed  as  a  gift  from  William  and  Mary  "To 
their  Majesties'  Chapel  in  New  England." 
The  other  gift  from  Royal  bounty  was  a  quite 
large  theological  library.  During  the  Revolu- 
tion the  hbrary  was  more  or  less  scattered  and 
lost.  When  the  Boston  Athenaeum  was  estab- 
lished, what  remained  of  it  was  given  into  the 
keeping  of  that  institution.  The  books  are 
great  splendid  folios,  as  fresh  as  when  they 
first  came  from  the  press.  Nobody  ever  has 
read  them  and  probably  nobody  ever  will. 

Mr.  Myles  must  have  been  a  remarkable 
man.  He  held  his  own  in  the  face  of  vitupera- 
tion, and  under  his  leadership  the  church  held 
together  and  awaited  calmer  days.  When 
Joseph  Dudley  came  back  as  Royal  Governor 
he  tried  to  be  of  both  parties.  He  took  a 
place  on  the  vestry  of  the  chapel,  but  attended 
church  in  Roxbury.  Governor  Phipps  was 
the  last  Governor  to  be  actively  hostile  to 
King's  Chapel.  The  officers  of  the  Crown 
were  afterwards  partisans  and  champions  of 
the  Church  of  England  service. 

"The  church  lived,  not  without  trial  and 
friction  .  .  .  with  steady  increase  of  its  influ- 
ence. Sunday  after  Sunday  a  considerable 
part  of  the  wealth  and  fashion  of  the  town 
gathered  within  its  doors.      In  outward  ap- 


28  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

pearance  the  congregation  must  have  been 
somewhat  briUiant.  The  uniforms  of  British 
officers  contributed  a  goodly  bit  of  color,  and 
the  escutcheons,  or  coat-of-arms,  of  knights 
and  baronets  connected  with  the  Government 
were  hung  upon  the  pillars  of  the  church.  The 
pulpit,  also,  was  covered  with  a  scarlet  cloth 
heavily  draped  about  it.  Those  who  belonged 
to  the  Royal  party  made  a  point  of  dressing 
in  full  court  fashion,  so  that  Mr.  Myles's  con- 
gregation, as  he  looked  down  upon  it,  must 
have  presented  itself  to  his  eye  in  quite  brave 
array. 

The  lame  feature  of  the  religious  service 
during  these  years  must  have  been  the  music. 
There  was  no  organ  anywhere  in  this  country 
till  Thomas  Brattle,  a  liberal-minded  mer- 
chant and  the  treasurer  of  Harvard  College, 
imported  one  from  England  at  his  own  ex- 
pense. At  his  death,  in  1713,  he  left  this  organ 
by  will,  first,  to  the  church  in  Brattle  Square, 
which  had  recently  been  built  and  was  decided- 
ly the  most  liberal  of  all  the  Congregational 
churches ;  but  if  that  society  did  not  accept  the 
gift  within  a  year,  then  the  organ  was  to  go  to 
King's  Chapel.  It  did  not  take  the  Brattle 
Square  people  anything  like  a  year  to  make  up 
their  minds.     Within  two  months  the  church 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  29 

voted  that,  "with  respect,"  they  did  not  think 
it  proper  to  use  the  same  in  the  pubhc  worship 
of  God."  ...  So  King's  Chapel  got  the  or- 
gan, which  it  received  very  thankfully. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  Old  North  Church, 
the  second  Episcopal  Church  in  Boston,  was 
laid  by  Dr.  Myles  in  1723,  and  Dr.  Cutler, 
who  had  exploded  a  bomb  in  the  Congrega- 
tional camp  by  resigning  the  Presidency  of 
Yale  College  and  announcing  his  conversion 
to  the  Episcopal  faith,  having  been  sent  to 
England  with  money  raised  at  King's  Chapel, 
and  there  ordained,  was  appointed  Rector. 
Dr.  Myles  died  in  1727,  after  a  long  and  suc- 
cessful ministry. 

King's  Chapel  began  now  to  show  signs  of 
the  independence  which  afterwards  made  it 
one  of  our  Unitarian  churches. 

The  vestry  was  unwilling  to  put  the  matter 
of  a  succescor  to  Dr.  Myles  into  the  hands  of 
the  Bishop  of  London,  but  decided  rather  to 
trust  the  matter  to  two  friends  of  theirs  in 
London.  When  these  gentlemen  consulted 
the  Bishop,  strange  to  say,  he  disclaimed  the 
right  of  presentation  to  the  vacant  pulpit.  Mr. 
Price,  who  had  been  a  chaplain  in  the  West 
Indies,  was  found,  and  his  induction  into  office 
was  very  curious. 


30  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

First,  they  all  went  into  the  church  together. 
Then  the  vestrymen  and  the  people  withdrew, 
leaving  Mr.  Price  alone  in  the  church.  The 
new  minister  then  proceeded  to  lock  himself 
in  and  to  toll  the  bell.  This  having  been  done, 
he  unlocked  the  door  and  received  the  people 
back,  who  wished  him  joy  upon  his  having  pos- 
session of  the  church. 

The  year  following  his  arrival,  Mr.  Price 
was  made  Bishop's  Commissary  for  these  parts 
by  virtue  of  which  appointment  he  became  a 
kind  of  overseer  of  all  the  Episcopal  churches 
in  New  England,  there  being  as  yet  no  Ameri- 
can bishop.  King's  Chapel  had  been  enlarged 
and  had  added  galleries  to  its  building,  and 
Christ  Church  was  full.  But  most  newcomers 
to  the  town  were  now  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land faith,  and  there  was  need  of  further 
accommodation.  April  15,  1734,  the  building 
of  Trinity  was  begun,  Mr.  Commissary  Price 
officiating  at  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone. 
The  first  rector  of  Trinity  was  Addington 
Davenport,  who  had  been  for  some  years  as- 
sistant minister  at  King's  Chapel. 

Mr.  Price  had  a  rather  stormy  pastorate; 
once  he  was  disciplined  by  the  church,  sent  in 
his  resignation,  and  had  decided  to  return  to 
England.     His  marriage  to  a  Boston  young 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  81 

lady  about  this  time  decided  him  to  stay.  But 
when  he  wanted  to  withdraw  his  resignation 
he  was  made  to  sign  a  paper  in  which  he  prom- 
ised to  give  up  certain  notions  he  held  as  to  his 
right  to  govern  church  affairs. 

Finally  Mr.  Price  did  resign.  During  two 
and  a  quarter  centuries  his  letter  stands  upon 
the  records  as  the  only  one  ever  offered  and 
accepted.  All  its  other  ministers,  save  Mr. 
Ratcliffe,  the  founder  of  the  church,  and  Mr. 
Caner,  who  deserted  his  post,  have  died  in 
office. 

After  Mr.  Price's  resignation  the  church 
voted  imanimously  not  even  to  consult  the 
Bishop  of  London  about  a  new  rector,  but 
themselves  appointed  Rev.  Henry  Caner,  who 
had  been  rector  of  a  church  in  Connecticut. 
He  was  inducted  into  office  by  the  same  cere- 
mony that  Mr.  Price  had  employed. 

Immediately  upon  his  settlement  plans  were 
made  for  rebuilding.  A  subscription  was 
started,  headed  by  Governor  Shirley  and  Sir 
Harry  Frankland,  with  Peter  Faneuil,  the 
giver  of  Faneuil  Hall,  as  treasurer.  The  prob- 
lem was  to  get  more  land,  for  just  back  of  the 
church  stood  the  building  of  the  Public  Latin 
School.  After  three  town  meetings,  slow  and 
unwilling  consent  was  given  the  King's  Chapel 


32  SKETCHES    OF     SOME     HISTORIC 

Society  to  take  this  lot  if  they  would  rebuild 
the  school  house  on  Eromfield  Lane.  This 
they  did,  but  to  satisfy  the  demands  made  they 
had  to  replace  the  wooden  school  house  with  a 
brick  one  a  third  larger  and  costing  seventeen 
hundred  pounds.  Altogether,  the  small  school 
house  lot  cost  them  $22,000. 

During  the  building,  which  took  five  years, 
one  account  says  they  worshipped  in  Trinity, 
but  another  says  that  the  new  church  was  built 
to  inclose  the  old,  and  that  this  was  used  all 
during  the  rebuilding. 

In  1756  a  new  organ  was  brought  over  from 
England,  bearing  as  ornaments  the  mitre  and 
crown,  which  are  still  retained.  There  is  a 
tradition  that  the  organ  was  selected  by  the 
great  musician  Handel,  who  was  a  friend  of 
the  King's,  but  this  is  not  a  matter  of  history. 

In  1768  a  Bible  was  given  to  the  church  by 
Mrs.  Ehzabeth  Rogers,  which  has  lain  upon 
the  reading-desk  ever  since  and  is  still  in  con- 
stant use.  In  1772,  just  on  the  eve  of  the 
Revolution,  a  large  and  handsome  set  of  com- 
munion silver  was  received  from  King  George 
III.,  and  the  church  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to 
Governor  Hutchinson  for  his  services  in  pro- 
curing the  same. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  33 

The  stone  of  the  present  church  is  Quincy 
granite,  taken  from  the  surface,  as  there  was 
then  no  quarry.  The  architect,  Peter  Harri- 
son, an  Enghshman,  used  the  famihar  church 
model  of  the  eighteenth  century,  so  that  the 
visitor  sees  in  the  fashion  of  the  interior,  its 
rows  of  columns  supporting  the  ceiling,  the 
antique  pulpit  and  reading  desk,  the  mural 
tablets  and  the  sculptured  monuments  that 
line  the  walls  a  pleasing  Hkeness  to  an  old 
London  church. 

In  1710,  when  the  original  wooden  church 
was  enlarged,  as  has  been  told,  the  exterior 
was  embellished  with  a  tower  surmounted  by 
a  tall  mast,  halfway  up  which  was  a  large  gilt 
crown  and  at  the  top  a  weathercock.  Within 
the  chapel  the  Governor's  pew,  raised  on  a 
dais  higher  by  two  steps  than  the  others,  hung 
with  crimson  curtains  and  surmounted  by  the 
Royal  Crown,  was  opposite  the  pulpit.  Near 
the  Governor's  pew  was  one  reserved  for  offi- 
cers of  the  British  army  and  navy.  Displayed 
along  the  walls  and  suspended  from  the  pillars 
were  the  escutcheons  and  coats-of-arms  of  the 
King,  Sir  Edmund  Andros,  Governors  Bur- 
net, Belcher,  and  Shirley,  and  other  persons 
of  distinction.  At  the  east  end  was  "the  altar 
piece  whereon  was  the  Glory  painted,  the  Ten 


84  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

Commandments,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Creed 
and  some  texts  of  Scripture." 

Soon  after  the  completion  of  the  new  church 
things  began  to  shape  themselves  for  the  im- 
pending storm  of  the  Revolution.  The  Epis- 
copal congregations  were  perhaps  more  unani- 
mous in  their  feeling  that  even  heavier  bur- 
dens should  be  borne  rather  than  break  with 
the  Mother  Country. 

Then  the  storm  broke.  Through  the  days 
of  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill  and  the  siege 
following,  King's  Chapel  pursued  its  way  as 
best  it  could.  It  was  a  time  of  much  distress 
in  Boston,  and  Mr.  Caner  collected  and  ad- 
ministered a  relief  fund.  At  last  came  the 
unhappy  morning  when  he  was  given  only 
seven  hours'  notice  of  the  impending  evacua- 
tion. Gathering  together  what  he  could,  he, 
with  eighteen  other  clergymen,  some  thirty 
families  belonging  to  the  church  and  a  numer- 
ous company  of  loyalists  besides,  embarked  in 
one  of  the  ships  of  the  British  fleet  and  set  sail 
for  Halifax.  He  took  with  him  the  record 
books  of  King's  Chapel  and  all  the  communion 
silver.  The  books  were  afterwards  in  the  main 
recovered;  of  the  silver  no  sure  trace  has  ever 
been  found. 

Without  a  minister,  and  with  nearly  half  its 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  35 

congregation  in  exile,  the  services  of  the 
church  were  suspended.  The  organization  of 
the  society  was  maintained,  but  the  people  at- 
tended church  at  Trinity,  whose  young  minis- 
ter, Mr.  Parker,  had  decided  to  remain  at  his 
post.  King's  Chapel  was  called  merely  the 
Stone  Chapel  for  some  time  after  the  Revolu- 
tion. The  mitre  and  crown  disappeared  from 
the  organ,  and  it  was  not  until  well  along  into 
the  next  century  that  they  were  brought  forth 
from  hiding  and  restored  to  their  rightful 
place. 

The  funeral  of  General  Joseph  Warren, 
who  was  killed  at  Bunker  Hill,  was  held  there 
April  8,  1776.  During  the  remaining  period 
of  the  war  the  church  was  offered  to  and  occu- 
pied by  the  congregation  of  the  Old  South. 
Their  church  had  been  so  maltreated  by  Brit- 
ish officers  when  they  used  it  for  a  riding  school 
that  it  was  unfit  for  use.  This  hospitality 
should  have  obliterated  the  memory  of  old 
wrongs  if  any  such  memory  remained  in  the 
minds  of  the  people  of  the  Old  South.  After 
the  Revolution  the  remnant  of  King's  Chapel 
and  of  the  Old  South  congregations  were  wor- 
shipping together  in  1782. 

The  first  century  of  the  history  of  King's 
Chapel  was  rounded  out  by  the  most  momen- 


36  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

tous  happening  of  all  from  the  Unitarian 
standpoint — the  selection  by  Thomas  Bulfinch, 
a  noted  physician  and  father  of  the  architect 
of  the  State  House,  who  was  Senior  Warden 
of  King's  Chapel,  of  James  Freeman  as  read- 
er. Freeman  belonged  to  the  liberal  wing  in 
Boston,  and  spoke  his  mind  freely  in  King's 
Chapel.  The  church  began  to  flourish  again. 
Pews  of  departed  loyalists  were  sold  to  new 
owners. 

But  James  Freeman  had  come  into  touch 
with  Joseph  Priestley's  writings,  and  with  the 
Rev.  William  Hazlitt,  an  English  Unitarian 
living  at  that  time  in  Boston;  and  after  a  year 
or  two  of  study  and  reflection  his  ideas  upon 
the  Trinity  had  become  so  changed  that  he 
considered  leaving  the  church.  He  visited 
many  of  his  people  and  told  them  that  much 
as  he  loved  them  he  felt  that  he  must  part  from 
them.  They  proposed  that  he  preach  a  series 
of  sermons  explaining  his  views  upon  the 
Trinity,  the  Apostle's  Creed,  and  other  por- 
tions of  the  liturgy.  This  he  did  with  sadness, 
feeling  that  these  sermons  would  be  his  last  in 
King's  Chapel.  When,  however,  a  vote  was 
later  taken  on  the  question  of  his  remaining, 
the  majority,  ninety  families,  voted  to  alter  the 
liturgy  and  to  retain  their  pastor,  while  fifteen 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  87 

families  voted  against  it.  Those  who  remained 
bought  the  pews  of  those  who  left,  the  litm-gy 
was  rewritten  in  all  essential  respects  just  as 
it  is  at  present.  But,  though  it  "excluded  all 
recognition  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  as 
being  erroneous  and  unscriptural,  the  congre- 
gation still  continued  to  regard  themselves  as 
Episcopalians,  and  desired  to  remain  in  con- 
nection, if  possible,"  with  the  other  American 
Episcopal  churches. 

When  the  question  of  the  ordination  of 
James  Freeman  came  up,  no  Episcopal  bishop 
nor  Congregational  minister  could  be  found 
who  was  willing  to  perform  the  ceremony,  so 
the  church  itself  ordained  him  as  "Rector, 
Minister,  Priest,  Pastor,  and  Ruling  Elder." 
Thus,  almost  unwittingly,  did  James  Freeman 
become  the  pioneer  of  Unitarianism  in  New 
England. 

Later  he  married  a  Mrs.  Clarke,  whose  son, 
Samuel  Clarke,  became  the  father  of  James 
Freeman  Clarke,  another  pioneer  of  liberalism 
in  Boston.  James  Freeman  Clarke  grew  up 
in  his  grandfather's  home  and  loved  and  re- 
vered him  tenderly. 

Visitors  to  King's  Chapel  ask  why  the  Epis- 
copal service  is  used  in  this  Unitarian  church. 
They   are  told  that  when  the  land   for  the 


88  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

church  was  taken  by  Andres  there  was  a  clause 
written  into  some  agreement  that  if  the  Epis- 
copal service  should  cease  to  be  used  in  the 
church  the  land  would  revert  to  its  original 
owners.  This  is  one  of  those  stories  with  which 
the  student  of  history  is  familiar,  a  story  in- 
vented to  explain  an  unusual  phenomena,  and 
so  plausible  as  to  pass  for  truth.  There  is  no 
foundation  in  fact  for  this  one.  The  simple 
explanation  of  this  circumstance  is  that  James 
Freeman  was  so  much  beloved  by  his  church 
and  his  opinion  was  so  much  respected  that 
they  made  certain  changes  in  the  Liturgy  to 
keep  him  as  their  pastor,  and  that  they  did  not 
expect  by  so  doing  to  cut  themselves  off  from 
the  Episcopal  Church  in  America. 

With  Dr.  Freeman  ends  the  picturesque 
part  of  the  sketch  of  King's  Chapel.  He  had 
a  long  and  honored  ministry  of  fifty-two  years. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Greenwood,  a  child 
of  the  Chapel,  having  been  baptized  by  Dr. 
Freeman  in  his  infancy.  His  pastorate  and 
that  of  his  successor.  Rev.  Ephraim  Peabody, 
were  comparatively  short.  Henry  Wilder 
Foote,  who  held  the  pastorate  for  the  next 
twenty-eight  years,  was  greatly  beloved  by  his 
congregation.  After  his  death  there  was  no 
regular  minister  for  a  few  years,  but  the  pulpit 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  89 

was  often  filled  by  Dr.  Andrew  Preston  Pea- 
body.  Rev.  Howard  N.  Brown  was  installed  in 
1895,  and  Rev.  Sydney  B.  Snow  was  settled, 
as  associate  minister,  in  1912. 

The  dress  of  the  minister  of  King's  Chapel 
remains,  as  nearly  as  possible,  exactly  that 
which  was  worn  by  the  Episcopal  clergy  of 
two  hundred  years  ago.  The  traditions  of 
which  it  speaks  are  that  of  great  love  for  an- 
cient manners  and  customs  in  religion,  coupled 
with  what  aims  to  be  a  frank  and  fearless  out- 
look upon  all  problems  in  the  life  of  the  present 
day. 

Three  Governors  of  Massachusetts  have 
been  chosen  from  the  ranks  of  King's  Chapel, 
Governor  Shirley,  appointed  Royal  Governor 
by  the  King  in  1741,  and  Governors  Wolcott 
and  Draper. 

President  Eliot  was  brought  up  in  this 
church,  which  his  father  served;  he  represents 
the  sixth  generation  from  Governor  Joseph 
Dudley. 

James  Freeman  Clarke  as  a  youth  belonged 
to  King's  Chapel,  as  did  Francis  Peabody, 
who,  speaking  at  the  two  hundredth  anniver- 
sary celebration,  said:  "When  I  look  back  as 
a  child  of  this  church  and  try  to  reckon  its 
influence,  my  first  impression  is  mingled  and 


40 SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

confusing.  Every  early  experience  which  I 
can  confess  of  any  sacredness  or  permanence 
or  depth  had  its  origin  and  its  blessing  here. 
The  fundamental  impression  made  by  this 
church  on  at  least  one  young  Ufe  .  .  .  was  not 
made  by  its  preaching,  however  eloquent,  or 
by  its  architecture,  however  beautiful;  but  by 
the  subtile  atmosphere  which  has  always  pre- 
vailed here,  of  reverence,  of  piety,  and  of 
prayer.  I  thank  God  that  I  was  born  into  a 
church  which  must  be  peculiarly  described  as 
worshipful." 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  41 

ARLINGTON   STREET  CHURCH 

[Federal  Street  Church] 

The  Society  now  known  as  the  Arlington 
Street  Church  was  founded  in  1739  (Mr. 
Chadwick  says  1729)  by  a  group  of  Scotch- 
Irish  Presbyterians,  who  met  for  a  number  of 
years  in  a  meeting-house  that  was  remodelled 
from  an  old  barn,  in  what  was  called  Long 
Lane.  In  1786  the  Society  voted  to  adopt  the 
Congregational  mode  of  government,  and 
later,  at  the  beginning  of  the  18th  century, 
through  Channing's  influence,  it  became  Uni- 
tarian. Therefore  William  EUery  Channing 
performed  for  this  church  the  same  service  that 
James  Freeman  did  for  King's  Chapel,  in  lib- 
eralizing its  faith  for  all  time. 

The  little  meeting-house  became  historic 
ground  in  1788,  when  it  was  the  meeting  place 
of  the  State  Convention,  to  ratify  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States.  To  commemor- 
ate this  event,  the  name  of  the  street  on  which 
it  stood  was  changed  by  legislative  act  to 
Federal  Street.  It  stood  also  on  the  corner 
of  Berry  Street,  which  gave  the  name  to  the 
"Berry  Street  Conference,"  held  for  the  first 
time  in  Dr.  Channing's  study. 


42  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

The  first  barn-like  meeting-house  was  re- 
placed in  1744  by  a  new  building,  which  was 
nearly  sixty  years  old  when  Channing  suc- 
ceeded to  its  pulpit.  Mr.  Channing  describes 
it  as  "small,  and  phenomenally  plain,  bare,  and 
ugly."  The  Federal  Street  church,  with  its 
high  pulpit,  a  picture  of  which  may  be  seen  in 
the  year  book  of  the  Arlington  Street  Church, 
was  built  in  1809.  The  present  Arlington 
Street  Church  was  not  begun  until  1860,  or 
eighteen  years  after  Channing's  death.  I 
mention  this  particularly,  because  many  per- 
sons are  under  the  mistaken  impression  that 
Dr.  Channing  actually  preached  in  the  present 
Arlington  Street  Church. 

The  first  minister  of  the  Society  was  John 
Moorhead,  who  preached  from  1729  to  1773. 
During  the  ten  years  following,  the  period  of 
the  American  Revolution,  there  was  no  settled 
minister.  Then  came  Robert  Annan,  from 
1783  to  1786.  He  was  followed  by  the  his- 
torian, Jeremy  Belknap,  who  served  the 
church  from  1787  to  1798,  and  was  founder  of 
the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society.  His 
successor  was  John  Snelling  Popkin,  1799  to 
1802.  He  left  the  church  in  an  enfeebled  con- 
dition; and  casting  about  for  a  young  man  of 
promise  to  minister  to  their  needs,  the  choice 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  43 

of  the  Society  fell  upon  the  young  Channing, 
who,  despite  his  delicate  health  and  retiring 
disposition,  had  already  begun  to  show,  by  ser- 
mons preached  here  and  there,  the  promise  of 
future  power.  Although  the  young  man  of  23 
had  only  begun  to  preach  in  the  autumn  of 
1802,  he  had  already  attracted  the  attention  of 
two  congregations  desiring  a  minister,  and  re- 
ceived, before  the  end  of  that  year,  an  urgent 
invitation  from  two  churches  to  become  their 
pastor.  The  first  invitation  had  come  from 
the  Brattle  Street  Church,  a  much  larger  and 
more  flourishing  Society  than  that  in  Federal 
Street,  and  his  friends  were,  many  of  them, 
anxious  that  he  should  accept  the  more  bril- 
Uant  position.  But  Channing  felt  that  he  had 
not  the  necessary  strength  to  undertake  the 
charge  of  so  large  a  pastorate,  so  decided  in 
favor  of  the  weaker  Federal  Street  Church, 
accepting  the  call  in  February  of  1803. 

The  following  quaint  "Letter  Missive"  was 
sent  to  the  sister  churches  in  the  neighborhood 
inviting  them  to  take  part  in  the  solemn  service 
of  ordination:  "Honored  and  beloved:  the 
Providence  of  God  having  preserved  us  in 
peace  and  unity  during  our  destitute  state,  and 
having  led  us  to  the  choice  of  William  E. 
Channing,  and  him  to  accept  of  our  united  in- 


44  SKETCHES    OF     SOME     HISTORIC 

vitation,  we  therefore  request  your  presence 
and  assistance  by  your  pastor  and  delegates  on 
Wednesday,  the  first  day  of  June  next,  to  join 
with  other  churches  in  solemnly  separating  him 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry  with  us.  We  ask 
your  prayers  for  him  and  for  us,  that  he  may 
come  to  us  in  the  fulness  of  the  blessing  of  the 
gospel  of  peace." 

Accordingly,  Channing  was  installed  on 
June  1,  1803,  Dr.  Tappan,  the  Harvard  Pro- 
fessor of  Theology,  preaching  the  sermon,  his 
uncle.  Rev.  Henry  Channing  of  New  London, 
giving  the  charge,  and  his  beloved  friend  and 
classmate,  Joseph  Tuckerman,  extending  the 
right  hand  of  fellowship.  George  Ticknor, 
who  was  present  as  a  boy  at  the  ceremony, 
speaks  of  the  strong  impression  produced 
upon  him  by  the  pale,  spiritual  young  clergy- 
man, who,  after  his  consecration,  arose  and  an- 
nounced the  closing  hymn.  Tuckerman  wrote 
years  after:  "His  looks,  the  tones  of  his 
trembling  voice,  and  devout  air  are  still  present 
to  me  whenever  the  scene  comes  up  in  my 
thoughts.  After  the  hymn  had  been  sung,  he 
rose  once  more,  and  in  the  same  tender  and 
devout  manner  pronounced  a  simple  benedic- 
tion.    In  this,  too,  I  see  him  still  freshly  be- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  46 

fore  me,  with  his  upcast  eye,  and  remember 
thinking  how  spiritual  he  was." 

Exactly  one  hundred  years  from  this  day, 
on  June  1,  1903,  the  bronze  statue  of  William 
Ellery  Channing  was  unveiled  opposite  the 
Arlington  Street  Church,  in  the  Public  Gar- 
den. We  have  all  heard  how  the  Italian 
woman  was  discovered  kneeling  and  saying 
her  beads  before  this  shrine,  and  many  have 
thought  that  she  might  have  made  a  worse 
choice  of  a  saint! 

Before  I  speak  briefly  of  Dr.  Channing's 
ministry  in  the  Federal  Street  Church,  it  may 
be  interesting  to  consider  for  a  moment  what  a 
different  Boston  it  was  then  from  the  city  with 
which  we  are  familiar.  Mr.  Chadwick,  in  his 
"Life  of  Channing,"  tells  us  that  Boston  then 
counted  only  25,000  inhabitants,  and  had  the 
general  appearance  of  an  old  English  market 
town.  The  sidewalks,  as  well  as  the  streets, 
were  paved  with  cobble-stones,  and  the  only 
illumination  by  night  was  by  means  of  a  few 
oil  lamps.  Gentlemen  of  means  wore  colored 
coats  and  figured  waistcoats,  with  knee- 
breeches  and  long  white-topped  boots,  ruffled 
shirt-fronts,  and  the  more  elderly,  cocked  hats 
and  wigs.  On  Saturday  evenings  the  streets 
were  full  of  boys  carrying  home  piles  of  wig- 


46  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

boxes,  for  the  better  observance  of  the  Lord's 
Day.  The  social  and  intellectual  life  of  the 
period  did  not  measure  up  to  Boston's  later 
reputation,  and  Channing's  congregation  at 
the  outset  did  not  represent  much  of  either 
wealth  or  culture.  But  the  spiritual  fervor 
and  passionate  earnestness  of  the  new  minister 
drew  more  and  more  auditors,  so  that  in  1809 
a  much  larger  church  had  to  be  built. 

All  descriptions  of  Channing  bear  witness  to 
his  dignity  and  impressiveness  when  in  the  pul- 
pit. One  of  his  admirers,  on  being  introduced 
to  him,  exclaimed  in  surprise:  "I  thought  you 
were  six  feet  tall!"  He  was  in  reality  small 
in  stature,  thin  and  pale,  with  the  hollow  eye 
and  sunken  cheeks  familiar  to  us  in  the  Gam- 
bardella  portrait,  but  with  an  expression  of 
great  delicacy,  refinement  and  spiritualized 
beauty.  His  beloved  nephew  and  biographer, 
William  Henry  Channing,  writes  of  him :  "On 
the  polished  brow,  with  its  rounded  temples, 
shadowed  by  one  falling  lock,  and  in  the  beam- 
ing countenance,  there  hovers  a  serenity  which 
seems  to  brighten  the  whole  head  with  a  halo." 
Dr.  Bartol  says  of  his  voice:  "It  was  surely 
like  none  beside,  having  more  in  it  of  the  violin 
than  the  flute,  and  with  an  habitual  rising  in- 
flection, rather  than  cadence,  at  the  end  of  the 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  47 

sentence,  which  seemed  to  raise  every  hearer 
to  the  skies.     There  was  a  pecuhar  charm  in 
his  reading  of  the  scriptures  and  hymns."  But 
the  real  strength  of  his  preaching  lay,  as  Mr. 
Chadwick  well  expresses  it,  in  his  conviction 
of  the  reality  of  his  message,  and  its  import- 
ance to  men's  hves.     What  his  central  message 
was,  throughout  the  many  years  of  his  pastor- 
ate, I  have  found  more  clearly  expressed  than 
elsewhere  in  the  admirable  sermon  given  by 
the  present  minister  of  the  Arlington  Street 
Church  on  the  day  preceding  the  unveiling  of 
the  statue.     I  can  heartily  commend  the  little 
book  containing  it  to  all  those  who  wish  a  sim- 
ple and  clear  statement  of  Channing's  message 
to  mankind.     In  his  later  life  he  spoke  of  it 
himself  as  his   "one  sublime  idea,"   namely, 
"the  greatness  of  the   soul,   its  divinity,  its 
union  with  God  by  spiritual  likeness."     More 
simply,  he  often  called  this  thought  "the  dig- 
nity of  human  nature."     This  thought  is  so 
familiar  to  us  now  that  it  is  hard  to  realize  the 
excitement  it  caused  when  he  uttered  it,  a  cen- 
tury ago.     To  understand  this,  we  must  con- 
sider the  prevalent  Calvinistic  theology  of  the 
period.    When  he  spoke  of  reverencing  human 
nature,  he  was  in  revolt  against  the  doctrine  of 
God  that  was  taught  in  the  churches  of  his  day. 


48  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

In  his  great  Baltimore  sermon,  preached  in 
1819  (on  "Unitarian  Christianity"),  he  said: 
"We  object  to  the  systems  of  rehgion  which 
prevail  among  us  .  .  .  that  they  take  from  us 
the  Father  in  Heaven,  and  substitute  for  Him 
a  being  whom  we  cannot  love  if  we  would,  and 
whom  we  ought  not  to  love  if  we  could."  This 
was  one  of  his  few  controversial  sermons.  Usu- 
ally he  opposed  the  gloomy  ideas  of  Calvinism 
simply  by  unfolding  his  own  beautiful  mes- 
sage of  the  divinity  of  the  human  soul.  Out  of 
this  conviction  grew  naturally  a  belief  in  im- 
mortality, for  it  seemed  to  him  "as  natural  for 
virtue  to  live  as  for  the  animal  to  breathe*'; 
he  further  says:  "Virtue  is  the  only  thing  in 
the  Universe  of  the  continuance  of  which  I  am 
sure,  for  it  is  of  the  very  essence  of  God. 
Everything  else  may  pass  away;  this  cannot." 
While  it  was  necessary  now  and  then  to 
openly  combat  the  prevalent  theology,  as  he 
did  with  such  effect  in  the  Baltimore  sermon, 
which  was  everywhere  read  and  commented 
upon,  I  believe  that  the  more  purely  spiritual 
and  ethical  note  of  his  usual  discourses,  which 
carried  his  congregation  over  into  a  liberal 
faith,  was  what  has  made  Channing  an  endur- 
ing factor  in  the  religious  life  of  the  world. 
It  is  the  sweetness  and  spiritual  appeal  of  his 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  49 

sermons  that  have  caused  them  to  be  read  by 
ministers  of  every  denomination  and  upholders 
of  every  sect,  from  that  day  to  this,  even  al- 
though they  were  divested  of  the  irresistible 
charm  of  his  wonderful  personality,  and  the 
compeUing  power  of  his  vibrating  voice. 

Although  Channing  was  pre-eminently  the 
preacher  of  spiritual  things,  it  would  be  unfair 
not  to  speak  also  of  his  important  work  along 
the  lines  of  political  and  social  reform.  He  had 
a  passion  for  hberty,  and  was  its  champion  in 
many  fields.  It  was  this  trait  that  made  him 
distrustful  of  all  sects,  and  even  loath  to  range 
himself  under  the  Unitarian  banner ;  it  was  the 
church  universal  that  appealed  to  him.  He 
always  upheld  free  speech,  whether  it  was  the 
much  misunderstood  Emerson  or  the  univer- 
sally decried  Theodore  Parker  whom  he  de- 
fended; and  it  made  no  difference  that  he  was 
not  in  accord  with  the  latter's  views.  Mr. 
Chadwick  pays  a  special  tribute  to  his  open- 
mindedness,  Channing  was  always  interested 
in  national  affairs,  and  was  in  sympathy  with 
the  Federal  party  in  1812.  In  1814  he  deliv- 
ered a  remarkable  sermon  in  King's  Chapel  on 
the  fall  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 

As  to  social  questions,  it  is  interesting  to 
note  that  the  Unitarian  Fellowship  for  Social 


60  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

Justice  has  published  a  little  pamphlet 
containing  his  utterances  along  these  lines, 
with  the  prefatory  remark  that,  as  one  reads 
his  work,  "he  is  impressed  more  and  more 
strongly  with  the  fact  that  Channing's  message 
on  the  social  question  is  still  prophetic  and 
vital/' 

It  was  quite  natural  that  the  apostle  of  the 
dignity  of  human  nature  should  try  to  improve 
the  lot  of  the  laborer  and  to  succor  the  poor 
and  oppressed.  As  Mr.  Frothingham  tells  us : 
"He  was  the  friend  and  counselor  of  Horace 
Mann,  of  Joseph  Tuckerman,  and  of  Samuel 
May.  He  labored  for  temperance,  for  the  im- 
provement of  prisons,  for  the  abolition  of  im- 
prisonment for  debt,  for  the  general  welfare 
of  the  laboring  man,  for  freedom  everywhere 
and  under  all  conditions,  for  peace  instead  of 
war."  As  far  back  as  1800,  when  only  twenty, 
he  wrote:  "I  am  not  for  enlarging  our  stand- 
ing army;  I  wish  there  was  nothing  of  the 
kind.  It  is  the  engine  which  has  beat  down 
the  walls  of  liberty  in  all  ages.  A  soldier  by 
profession  is  too  apt  to  forget  that  he  is  a  citi- 
zen." Sixteen  years  later  a  meeting  held  in 
his  study  organized  the  Massachusetts  Peace 
Society,  and  this,  to  me  at  least,  is  one  of  his 
noblest  titles  to  enduring  fame. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  61 

It  is  remarkable  how  he  anticipated  many  of 
the  philanthropic  theories  and  principles  of  a 
later  day, — how  he  saw  the  importance  of 
working  with  individuals  rather  than  with 
masses,  and  of  helping  people  to  help  them- 
selves. He  felt  the  vital  need  of  ethical  and 
civic  instruction  in  the  public  schools.  He  was 
a  fearless  champion,  long  in  advance  of  his 
age,  of  the  modern  methods  of  prison  manage- 
ment. It  is  interesting  in  this  connection  to 
remember  that  Dorothea  Dix,  later  renowned 
for  her  wonderful  work  for  the  prisoners  and 
the  insane,  was  for  a  number  of  years  an  in- 
mate of  Dr.  Channing's  family,  being  em- 
ployed as  governess  to  his  children.  We  must 
also  not  forget  that  Miss  Elizabeth  Peabody, 
with  her  great,  unselfish  interest  in  all  good 
things  and  people,  was  for  some  time  his 
amanuensis,  and  also  a  teacher  of  his  daughter. 
Channing  was  also  a  prophet  of  the  social 
settlement,  whose  principles  and  aims  he  pre- 
dicted fifty  years  before  they  were  realized  by 
Arnold  Toynbee  in  London. 

Above  all,  however,  this  fearless  apostle  of 
liberty  took  a  brave  stand  on  the  question  of 
slavery.  Although  he  disapproved  the  ex- 
treme measures  of  the  pioneers  in  this  great 
reform,  and  on  that  account  held  aloof  from  it 


62  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

longer  than  he  otherwise  would  have  done,  yet 
when  he  reahzed  that  his  duty  lay  on  the  side 
of  the  reformers,  he  never  faltered  in  his  sup- 
port, even  when  some  of  his  influential  parish- 
ioners crossed  the  street  to  avoid  meeting  him. 
One  of  the  fairest  laurels  in  his  crown  is  that 
he  issued  the  call  to  the  memorable  meeting  of 
Abolitionists,  which  was  held  in  Faneuil  Hall 
on  December  8,  1837,  to  protest  against  the 
murder  of  Love  joy, — at  which  meeting  the 
young  Wendell  Phillips  made  his  first  great 
speech,  and  the  youthful,  curly-headed  John 
A.  Andrew  sat  on  the  platform.  Dr.  Chan- 
ning  not  only  issued  the  call  to  this  meeting, 
but  made  the  opening  address,  and  sat  undis- 
mayed on  the  platform,  despite  the  fury  of  the 
threatening  mob. 

His  conservative  congregation  was  not 
pleased  when  Channing  began  to  lift  his  voice 
from  the  pulpit  on  behalf  of  social  reform  in 
its  various  phases.  But  his  advocacy  of  the 
Anti-slavery  principle,  given  from  the  pulpit 
as  well  as  elsewhere,  was  still  worse  in  their 
eyes,  and  probably  no  one  now  living  realizes 
how  much  this  delicate,  naturally  retiring  and 
unaggressive  man  had  to  suffer  in  his  defense 
of  freedom.  We  must  remember  this  when  we 
hear  him  accused,  as  he  occasionally  is,  by  those 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  63 

who  do  not  know  all  the  facts,  of  time-serving 
and  cowardice.  He  was  never  lacking  in  mor- 
al courage  when  he  once  saw  his  way  clear. 

Owing  to  his  delicate  health,  a  good  deal  of 
his  social  work  had  to  be  done  from  the  pulpit 
or  with  the  pen;  but  so  far  as  he  was  able,  he 
also  gave  freely  of  his  time  and  strength,  visit- 
ing the  poor  of  his  parish,  talking  with  the 
children  of  the  Society,  and  giving  them  les- 
sons— this  was  before  the  day  of  Sunday 
schools.  He  was  very  successful  in  making  his 
addresses  to  children  simple  and  attractive, 
and  once  said  that  the  most  satisfactory  com- 
pliment he  ever  received  was  from  a  little  girl 
who  told  her  mother:  "I  understood  every 
word  he  said." 

A  well-known  incident  from  his  early  min- 
istry shows  his  unselfish  consideration  for 
others.  His  week  was  usually  so  busy  with 
study,  and  visiting  the  sick  and  poor,  that  he 
had  rarely  begun  to  prepare  his  sermon  before 
Saturday  afternoon.  A  colored  teacher,  who 
was  anxious  to  profit  by  Mr.  Channing's  so- 
ciety, used  frequently  to  take  advantage  of  the 
holiday  to  visit  him,  often  staying  into  the 
evening.  Mrs.  Channing  was  much  annoyed 
that  her  son  should  be  thus  robbed  of  his  pre- 
cious hours,  but  he  would  not  suffer  his  colored 


64  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

visitor  to  be  sent  away,  even  although  he  often 
sat  up  most  of  the  night,  and  finished  his  ser- 
mons while  the  morning  bell  was  ringing. 

It  was  not  until  1814  that  Mr.  Channing 
was  married  to  the  lovely  cousin,  Ruth  Gibbs, 
to  whom  he  had  been  attached  since  boyhood. 
He  had  postponed  this  happiness  as  the  result 
of  an  agreement  with  his  older  brother  Francis, 
that  one  of  them  should  remain  unmarried  for 
ten  years,  and  make  a  home  for  their  mother 
and  sisters. 

In  1822  the  delicate  and  hard-working  min- 
ister was  persuaded  by  his  parishioners  and 
friends  to  take  a  much  needed  rest,  and  a  year 
abroad  with  his  wife  brought  rich  experiences 
and  new  vigor.  Dr.  Dewey,  who  had  often 
preached  for  him  before,  occupied  his  pulpit 
during  this  year  of  absence. 

In  1824  Mr.  Ezra  Stiles  Gannett  became 
associated  with  him  in  the  church,  and  Dr. 
Channing  relinquished  a  portion  of  his  salary, 
gradually  giving  up  the  remainder  as  his  col- 
league assumed  more  and  more  of  the  pastoral 
duties,  which  he  himself  had  no  longer  the 
strength  to  discharge.  He  preached  occasion- 
ally, when  able,  and  when  this  was  known  in 
advance,  the  church  was  always  crowded. 

Dr.  Dewey,  who  as  a  young  man  lived  for  a 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  65 

number  of  weeks  in  his  family,  and  so  had  an 
unusual  chance  to  study  the  great  man,  gives 
us  some  valuable  side-lights  on  his  character 
and  disposition.  This  young  man  frequently 
had  the  ordeal  of  preaching  with  Dr.  Channing 
as  auditor,  and  received  from  him  the  criticism : 
"You  address  yourself  too  much  to  the  imagin- 
ation, and  too  little  to  the  conscience."  Dewey 
found  Channing  "embosomed  in  reverence  and 
affection,  and  yet  living  in  a  singular  isolation. 
No  being  was  ever  more  simple,  unpretending, 
and  kindly-natured  than  he,  and  yet  no  such 
being  surely  was  ever  so  inaccessible, — not  that 
he  was  proud,  but  that  he  was  venerated  as 
something  out  of  the  earthly  sphere."  .  .  . 
"One  felt  it  necessary  to  sit  bolt  upright  in 
conversing  with  him,  and  to  strain  his  mind  as 
to  a  task."  There  seems  to  be  a  universal  tes- 
timony as  to  the  awe  his  presence  inspired. 
Although  always  courteous,  he  was  sometimes 
abstracted.  "He  unbent  with  children  more 
easily  than  with  others."  Ephraim  Peabody 
also  speaks  of  the  great  interest  he  took  in  the 
young,  whom  he  loved  to  have  about  him.  Mr. 
Peabody  makes  a  few  admirable  statements 
about  Channing  which  I  cannot  forbear  quot- 
ing, e.  g. :  "Conversation  with  him  was  not  a 
conflict  of  wits,  but  an  instrument  for  investi- 


56  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

gating  truth;  not  an  argumentative  controver- 
sy, but  an  inquiry.  On  leaving  him,  you  felt 
that  you  had  not  been  learning  how  to  main- 
tain a  side,  but  that  you  had  penetrated  deeper 
into  the  subject  of  discussion.  But  the  quality 
which  above  all  others  manifested  itself  was 
the  devotional  habit  of  his  mind.  As  you  came 
to  know  him  well,  you  felt  that  his  mind  kept 
habitually  within  the  circle  of  light  which 
shines  down  from  above."  He  "possessed  one 
characteristic  of  greatness  in  a  remarkable  de- 
gree,— the  power  of  sacrificing  that  which  was 
secondary  and  unimportant  to  that  which  was 
central  and  essential,"  and  this,  Mr.  Peabody 
thinks,  was  in  part  owing  to  his  delicate  health, 
which  necessitated  a  constant  choice  of  that 
which  was  most  important.  He  loved  inter- 
course with  all  kinds  of  men,  but  was  more 
eager  to  draw  from  them  their  information  and 
views  than  to  exhibit  his  own,  and  to  this  Mr. 
Peabody  attributes  his  breadth  and  clearness 
of  judgment  on  the  social  and  moral  questions 
of  the  time.  It  is  hard  not  to  multiply  the  ver- 
dicts of  Channing's  contemporaries,  in  their 
efforts  to  sum  up  his  character  in  a  few  words, 
but  I  will  content  myself  here  with  one  of  the 
most  striking,  from  the  German  Lutheran, 
Baron   Bunsen,   as   quoted  by  Dr.   Hedge: 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  57 

"Channing  is  in  humanity  a  Greek,  in  citizen- 
ship a  Roman,  in  Christianity  an  apostle,"  and 
he  adds:  "If  such  a  one  is  not  a  Christian 
apostle  of  the  presence  of  God  in  man,  I  know 
of  none." 

We  all  know  how  the  end  came  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1842,  when  among  the  mountains  of 
Vermont  that  gentle  spirit  left  this  earth  with 
the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  and  after  his 
final  word,  so  appropriate  to  his  beautiful  life, 
had  been  caught  from  his  dying  lips:  "I  have 
received  many  messages  from  the  spirit."  The 
funeral  services  were  held  on  October  7th  in 
the  Federal  Street  Church,  with  which  he  had 
been  identified  so  long.  His  colleague,  Mr. 
Gannett,  gave  the  address,  and  three  other 
ministers  took  part  in  the  service. 

It  was  fortunate  for  the  bereaved  congrega- 
tion that  a  good  and  wise  successor  to  Dr. 
Channing  was  at  hand,  in  the  person  of  his 
tried  and  faithful  colleague,  Ezra  Stiles 
Gannett. 

Gannett  had  become  Dr.  Channing's  col- 
league as  a  very  young  man,  soon  after  finish- 
ing his  course  in  the  Divinity  School.  He 
preached  his  first  sermon  there  in  1824.  He  was 
extremely  conscientious  as  well  as  zealous,  and 
an    indefatigable    and    successful   worker   in 


68  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

church,  parish,  and  Sunday  school,  despite 
some  early  failures  and  discouragements.  He 
was  a  natural  organizer,  and  was  one  of  the 
framers,  and  the  first  secretary,  of  the  Ameri- 
can Unitarian  Association.  It  was  also  large- 
ly due  to  him  that  the  Benevolent  Fraternity 
of  Churches  was  formed. 

After  twelve  years  of  unremitting  toil  his 
health  broke  down,  and  he  fled  to  Europe, 
where  he  was  able,  through  the  kindness  of  his 
parishioners,  to  remain  two  years,  and  slowly 
recuperate.  Just  before  returning  home,  he 
electrified  the  staid  Unitarians  in  London  with 
his  extemporaneous  eloquence.  But  the  very 
first  summer  after  his  return  he  had  a  paralytic 
stroke  which  affected  his  right  leg,  and  made 
him  a  cripple  for  life.  From  this  time  on  he 
swung  along  between  two  short  crutches,  and 
was  a  well-known  figure  in  the  streets  of  Bos- 
ton. This  infirmity  did  not  in  the  least  impair 
his  usefulness  or  activity;  indeed,  it  seemed  as 
if  his  main  work  had  only  just  begun. 

He  was  busy  editing  two  Unitarian  periodi- 
cals; he  gave  many  eloquent  lectures,  to  hear 
which  a  number  of  eager  students  walked  over 
from  Cambridge;  he  was  given  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  by  Harvard  College,  and 
other   well-deserved   honors    fell   to   his   lot. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  69 

When  in  1842  Dr.  Channing  died,  the  whole 
responsibility  of  the  church  rested  upon  his 
shoulders,  although  the  actual  work  of  pulpit 
and  parish  had  long  been  his. 

This  was  the  age  of  Transcendentahsm, 
whose  prophets  were  the  young  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson  and  Theodore  Parker.  Dr.  Gannett 
remained  in  the  conservative  ranks  of  the  old 
Unitarians,  although  he  was  always  fair  to  his 
opponents,  and  he  and  Parker  remained  per- 
sonal friends. 

Like  his  famous  predecessor,  Channing, 
Gannett  was  constantly  handicapped  by  his 
physical  condition,  and  yet  his  work  was  al- 
ways done,  as  the  1750  sermons  he  left  behind 
him  bear  witness.  There  were,  beside  these, 
quantities  of  sermons  and  lectures  dehvered 
without  manuscript.  He  was,  above  all,  the 
devoted  pastor,  visiting  his  people  constantly 
in  their  homes.  He  was  for  four  years  presi- 
dent of  the  American  Unitarian  Association, 
for  five  years  president  of  the  Benevolent  Fra- 
ternity of  Churches,  and  for  twenty-three 
years  an  overseer  of  Harvard  College.  He 
gave  addresses  before  distinguished  societies; 
he  rode  about  cold  New  England  for  five  or 
six  winters,  giving  lyceum  lectures,  and  was  in 
special  request  for  dedication  and  ordination 


60  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

services.  It  was  his  duty  and  privilege  to 
dedicate  the  new  church  on  Arlington  Street 
in  1861. 

Dr.  Gannett  had  always  been  active  in  the 
causes  of  peace,  temperance,  and  education,  as 
well  as  in  many  forms  of  charity,  but  he  took 
little  part  in  the  anti-slavery  struggle,  al- 
though he  hated  slavery.  He  feared  war  as  a 
result  of  the  abolition  policy,  and  dreaded  dis- 
union above  all  things.  But  after  the  war  was 
over  he  was  enthusiastic  over  the  Freedmen's 
Aid  Society,  and  his  face  appears  in  the  Sani- 
tary Commission  group  among  the  bronze  bas- 
reliefs  of  the  Soldiers'  Monument  on  Boston 
Common. 

His  parishioners  sent  him  to  Europe  again, 
to  keep  him  from  resigning  his  pastorate,  ow- 
ing to  increased  sickness  and  depression.  He 
next  undertook  to  teach  in  a  newly  organized 
theological  school.  He  tried  many  times  to  re- 
sign, and  finally  preached  his  last  sermon  to  his 
loyal  congregation  in  June,  1871.  In  the  fol- 
lowing August  he  met  his  death  in  a  collision, 
on  the  way  to  Lynn  on  a  preaching  errand. 
He  was  identified  with  the  Arlington  Street 
Church  and  its  work  for  nearly  half  a  century. 

There  are  memorial  tablets  to  both  Chan- 
ning  and  Gannett  in  the  present  church.  They 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  61 

were  previously  placed  on  each  side  of  the 
pulpit,  but  when  the  church  was  remodelled,  a 
few  years  ago,  they  were  transferred  to  the 
entrance  hall,  near  the  door. 

This  beautiful  old  church  has  only  within 
recent  years  lost  a  familiar  and  genial  figure, 
always  seen  in  one  of  the  front  pews — the 
gifted  daughter  of  Dr.  Gannett,  Mrs.  Kate 
Gannett  Wells. 

Dr.  Gannett  was  followed  by  John  Fother- 
gill  Waterhouse  Ware,  who  was  the  minister 
from  1872  to  1881,  after  which  came  the  well 
remembered  pastorate  of  Brooke  Herford, 
from  1882  to  1892.  John  Cuckson  followed, 
until  the  year  1900,  when  the  present  century 
ushered  in  the  worthy  successor  who  now  fills 
the  pulpit. 

I  suppose  we  all  of  us  learned  the  succession 
of  the  English  sovereigns  by  committing  to 
memory  the  well  known  rhyme  which  ends, 
you  remember,  as  follows:  "Then  Anne, 
Georges  four,  and  fourth  Wilham  all  passed, 
and  Victoria  came — may  she  long  be  the  last." 
At  the  risk  of  seeming  flippant,  I  am  tempted 
to  paraphrase,  and  to  say  that,  after  Channing, 
— then  Gannett,  Ware,  Herford,  and  Cuckson 
all  passed,  and  Frothingham  came, — May  he 
long  be  the  last! 


62  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

FIRST  CHURCH  IN  BOSTON 

The  four  men  particularly  eminent  and  ac- 
tive in  laying  the  foundation  of  the  First 
Church  in  Boston,  were  John  Winthrop, 
Thomas  Dudley,  Isaac  Johnson  and  John 
Wilson.  The  first,  John  Winthrop,  became 
the  first  governor  of  Massachusetts;  the  sec- 
ond, Mr.  Dudley,  was  for  a  long  time  deputy 
governor  and  afterwards  governor  for  four 
years ;  the  third,  Isaac  Johnson,  was  a  man  of 
family  and  fortune  said  to  be  the  second  white 
inhabitant  of  Boston.  It  is  said  that  he  chose 
for  his  land  that  square  bounded  by  Tremont, 
School,  Washington  and  Court  Streets.  He 
lived  only  a  short  time  after  the  founding  of 
the  church  and  was  buried  in  the  south-west 
corner  of  his  own  land, — the  nucleus  of  the 
King's  Chapel  Burying  Ground.  The  fourth 
of  these  men  was  John  Wilson,  who  became 
the  first  pastor  of  the  church. 

The  history  of  the  First  Church  begins  with 
the  occupation  of  Charlestown  by  the  English 
colonists  under  Winthrop.  The  Arbella,  the 
vessel  in  which  they  crossed  the  ocean,  put  into 
Salem  Harbor  in  June,  1630,  and  later  came 
to  anchor  in  "Charlton  Harbor,"  as  Winthrop 
called  it,  early  in  July  of  the  same  year. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  63 

The  pioneers  were  poorly  prepared  to  con- 
tend with  the  hardships  of  the  new  situation, 
but  in  spite  of  many  adversities,  we  might  say 
rather  because  of  them,  the  people  hurried  on 
the  organization  of  the  church. 

The  30th  of  July  was  set  apart  as  a  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer  and  after  solemn  religious 
exercises,  Winthrop,  Dudley,  Johnson  and 
Wilson  subscribed  the  Church  Covenant,  the 
same  which  is  continued  to-day. 

On  the  first  of  August,  Increase  Nowell 
and  four  more  united  with  the  church  and  soon 
after,  other  members,  so  that  the  number 
amounted  to  sixty-four  men  and  half  that 
number  of  women. 

From  the  very  start,  religion  was  upper- 
most in  the  minds  of  the  colonists  and  on  the 
27th  of  August  another  fast  was  observed  and 
the  church  duly  organized  by  the  appointment 
of  the  proper  officers.  These  officers  included 
pastors,  teachers,  ruling  elders,  deacons,  and 
sometimes  deaconesses  or  widows ;  the  function 
of  the  latter  was,  as  quaintly  quoted,  "to  show 
mercy  and  cheerfulness  and  to  minister  to  the 
sick  and  poor  brethren." 

The  first  meeting  place  was  under  a  large 
tree  on  the  Charlestown  side,  but  the  settlers 
soon  perceived  that  the    south    side    of    the 


64 SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

Charles  River  was  preferable  to  the  north, 
both  as  to  climate  and  water  supply,  and  they 
began  to  remove  to  the  peninsula.  At  first 
those  who  had  removed  went  back  to  Charles- 
town  to  worship  on  Sunday.  In  a  httle  while 
worship  was  celebrated  alternately  on  each  side 
of  the  river.  At  length  the  First  Church 
took  its  station  altogether  in  Tri-mountain, 
which  was  soon  called  Boston. 

Early  in  1631  Wilson  made  a  visit  to  Eng- 
land for  the  purpose  of  bringing  over  his  wife, 
and  the  affairs  of  the  church  were  left  with 
Governor  Winthrop,  Deputy  Governor  Dud- 
ley and  Elder  Nowell.  But  his  place  was 
soon  afterwards  supplied  by  Rev.  Mr.  Eliot, 
afterwards  celebrated  for  his  apostleship  to 
the  Indians. 

Although  the  founders  of  Massachusetts 
and  of  the  First  Church  forsook  their  native 
country  with  the  express  design  of  enjoying 
perfect  liberty  of  conscience,  and,  although 
doubtless  it  was  the  original  intention  to  pre- 
serve ecclesiastical  affairs  distinct  from  those 
of  the  State,  yet  these  interests  became  im- 
mediately blended.  Instances  of  political  in- 
terference with  ecclesiastical  concerns  were 
often  taking  place.  No  church  could  be  gath- 
ered without  permission  from  the  magistrates 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  65 

and  none  could  be  a  magistrate,  nor  even  vote 
for  a  magistrate,  unless  he  was  a  member  of  a 
church  thus  politically  gathered.  The  Gen- 
eral Court  was  held  in  the  First  Church  meet- 
ing house  as  late  as  1658. 

On  the  return  of  Wilson  from  London,  in 
May,  1632,  the  congregation  began  to  build 
their  first  house  of  worship  and  another  house 
for  the  pastor.  They  erected  the  church  on 
the  south  side  of  State  Street  not  far  from 
where  Brazer  Building  now  stands.  Its  roof 
was  thatched  and  the  walls  were  of  mud.  As 
the  season  grew  late  and  the  weather  grew 
severe,  those  members  living  in  Charlestown 
found  it  troublesome  to  worship  in  Boston, 
accordingly  they  signified  their  desire  to  form 
a  new  society — so  in  October,  sixty-three  per- 
sons were  "peaceably  dismissed." 

The  congregation  of  the  First  Church  now 
fixed  their  eyes  for  a  teacher  on  Mr.  John 
Eliot,  but  he  had  already  determined  on  a 
settlement  in  Roxbury  and  would  not  be  per- 
suaded to  alter  his  resolution.  Thereupon  in 
November,  1632,  Mr,  Wilson  hitherto  teacher 
was  ordained  pastor  of  the  church. 

In  1633  John  Cotton  arrived  from  England, 
where  being  threatened  with  proceedings  for 
non-conformity,  he  sought  the  freedom  of  the 


66  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

new  land.  His  popularity  in  England  had 
been  great,  and  had  already  prepared  him  a 
welcome  reception  here  so  that  he  might  have 
chosen  any  situation  in  the  country,  but  he  was 
somewhat  compelled  by  the  advice  of  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Counsel  as  well  as  by  the  unanimous 
voice  of  the  First  Church  to  settle  here,  and 
accordingly  in  October  he  was  chosen  teacher 
of  the  church  with  Mr.  Wilson  as  pastor. 

The  young  and  spreading  colony  soon  felt 
and  appreciated  the  weight  and  influence  of 
John  Cotton,  a  man  of  great  intellect  and 
learning,  well  acquainted  with  Greek,  Latin, 
and  Hebrew.  Besides  preaching,  settling 
cases  of  conscience,  giving  counsel  in  public 
affairs,  and  presiding  over  church  disciphne, 
he  wrote  many  books  which  became  standard 
authorities. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  he  estabhshed  the 
Thursday  Lecture,  in  continuation  of  that 
originated  by  him  in  Old  Boston,  which  re- 
mained under  the  tutelage  of  the  First  Church 
for  over  two  centuries.* 

John  Cotton's  influence  was  generally  bene- 
ficent, though  it  was  never  used  to  further 

*Note — I  found  a  reference  to  a  Thursday  Lecture 
as  late  as  1858  when  our  own  Dr.  James  Freeman 
Clarke  gave  the  lecture. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  67 

the  cause  of  freedom  or  democracy,  he  believ- 
ing that  Monarchy  and  Aristocracy  were 
clearly  approved  and  directed  in  the  scriptures. 
He  naturally  took  an  active  part  in  most  of 
the  theological  and  political  controversies  of 
his  time,  the  two  principal  of  which  were  those 
concerning  Antinomianism,  the  movement 
headed  by  Anne  Hutchinson,  and  the  expul- 
sion of  Roger  Williams.  In  the  former  his 
position  was  somewhat  equivocal,  for  he  first 
supported  and  then  violently  opposed  Anne 
Hutchinson ;  and  in  the  latter  he  approved  the 
expulsion  of  Roger  WiUiams  as  "righteous  in 
the  eyes  of  God." 

In  the  year  1640  the  congregation  decided 
to  build  a  new  meeting-house,  the  old  one  be- 
ing dilapidated  and  too  small.  The  church 
was  finally  erected  in  Cornhill  Square. 

At  this  time  Winthrop  speaks  of  the  church 
as  being  in  a  particularly  thriving  condition 
and  it  was  about  this  time,  in  1650,  that  the 
Second  Church  was  gathered.  It  is  told  to  the 
credit  of  John  Cotton  that  he  did  all  he  could 
to  further  the  undertaking,  notwithstanding 
it  might  draw  parishioners  from  himself. 

In  the  year  1651  Cotton  died.  There  is  a 
memorial  erected  to  his  memory  in  his  old 
church  of  St.  Botolph's,  England,  through  the 


68  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

liberality  of  Edward  Everett  and  other  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Church  and  of  Boston. 
Among  his  numerous  services  to  Boston  that 
of  saving  the  public  Common  might  be  con- 
sidered the  most  important.  His  claim  of  hav- 
ing founded  the  Boston  Latin  School  seems  to 
be  authentic.  It  was  first  situated  on  what  is 
now  School  Street,  then  called  Latin  School 
Street. 

The  death  of  Cotton  left  Wilson  in  sole 
charge  of  the  church  for  nearly  four  years  until 
the  installation  of  John  Norton  as  teacher. 
By  the  death  of  Norton,  Wilson,  now  seventy- 
six  years  old,  was  again  left  without  a  col- 
league. In  1667  the  church  lost  this  venerable 
and  beloved  pastor,  who  had  been  with  them, 
as  the  record  says,  since  the  "first  beginning 
of  the  plantation,  a  period  of  thirty-seven 
years." 

He  was  the  last  of  the  four  original  signers 
of  that  solemn  church  covenant  entered  into 
before  Boston  was  settled. 

For  more  than  a  year  after  the  death  of 
Wilson  no  one  was  called  to  fill  the  vacancy, 
but  Rev.  John  Davenport  and  James  Allen 
were  both  called  to  be  teaching  officers.  After 
this  Davenport  served  as  minister  for  two 
years  with  Allen  as  colleague.     He  was  the 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  69 

last  of  that  group  of  four  Johns  so  famous  in 
the  history  of  the  church  and  colony,  John 
Wilson,  John  Cotton,  John  Norton,  John 
Davenport. 

At  the  beginning  of  Davenport's  ministry 
a  difference  of  religious  opinion  divided  the 
congregation,  and  a  minority  founded  a  Third 
Church  with  meetings  in  Charlestown.  The 
separation  lasted  about  fourteen  years;  at  the 
end  of  that  time  an  effort  was  made  to  estab- 
lish an  Episcopal  church,  which  both  societies 
regarded  as  a  common  enemy.  Consequently 
they  came  together,  the  proposal  for  recon- 
ciliation being  voted  by  the  First  Church. 
After  Davenport  came  James  Allen,  John 
Oxenbridge,  Joshua  Moody,  John  Bailey, 
Benjamin  Wadsworth  and  Thomas  Bridge. 

In  1692  an  important  change  took  place 
in  the  relation  of  church  and  state  taking 
away  from  the  church  that  power  which 
never  properly  belonged  to  it  and  transferring 
the  jurisdiction  of  civil  affairs  to  the  people. 
For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  no  attack 
on  the  Puritan  system  of  church  government 
had  met  with  much  success.  The  Quakers 
had  raised  some  trouble  but  had  established 
no  society  of  any  consequence  except  in  Rhode 
Island.     The  number  of  Baptists  was  perhaps 


70  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

even  smaller  than  Quakers  and  the  attempts 
to  establish  an  Episcopal  Church  had  thus  far 
failed.  Cotton  had  done  much  to  keep  the 
system  in  working  order. 

In  1711  the  Meeting  House  was  consumed 
by  fire  and  in  1713  the  corner  stone  of  the 
New  (afterwards  the  Old)  Brick  Meeting 
House  was  laid  on  the  same  spot. 

Early  in  the  year  1717  Thomas  Foxcroft,  a 
young  man  hardly  twenty-one  years  old,  was 
invited  to  assist  Mr.  Wadsworth,  and  when 
that  senior  pastor  in  1725  removed  to  Cam- 
bridge as  president  of  Harvard  College,  he  was 
left  for  two  years  as  the  only  settled  minister. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  Charles  Chauncy  was 
chosen  as  colleague  to  Foxcroft. 

Chauncy  was  the  great  grandson  of  Rev. 
Charles  Chauncy  who  was  the  second  president 
of  Harvard  College.  His  father  was  a  pros- 
perous merchant  in  Boston  and  he  was  edu- 
cated at  Harvard,  graduating  at  sixteen  years 
of  age  in  the  year  1721.  He  commenced  the 
study  of  theology  and  accepted  the  call  to  the 
First  Church  as  co-pastor  with  Thomas 
Foxcroft. 

The  significant  development  of  the  First 
Church  in  religious  opinion  began  with 
Chauncy.     In  all  the  history  of   the    church 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  71 

there  had  been  no  dissension  about  theological 
beliefs.  Chauncy's  early  ministry  attracted 
little  attention  both  because  he  was  the  col- 
league of  a  famous  preacher  and  also  because 
his  sermons  were  marked  by  a  simplicity  of 
speech  which  was  at  first  unattractive.  The 
ornate  taste  of  the  period  immediately  follow- 
ing the  Revolution  was  inclined  to  ridicule  his 
style  a  little,  but  men  always  respected  his 
thought.  His  very  simplicity  and  directness 
of  speech  made  his  sermons  easy  reading.  It 
was,  therefore,  as  a  writer  of  books  and  pamph- 
lets, that  Chauncy  influenced  the  thought  of 
his  time.  His  controversial  writings  took  in 
the  main  three  directions — 1st,  his  antagonism 
to  the  extravagancies  of  the  "Great  Awaken- 
ing"— the  revivals  of  Whitefield;  2nd,  his 
defense  of  congregational  forms  of  church 
government,  and — finally,  his  affirmation  of 
certain  theological  convictions  which  were  dis- 
tinctly unorthodox. 

He  came  first  into  public  notice  as  a  stern 
opposer  of  the  religious  excitement  that  pre- 
vailed in  New  England  in  connection  with  the 
labors  of  Whitefield.  Though  he  did  not  by 
any  means  stand  alone  in  his  views  of  these 
revivals,  he  differed  from  the  majority  of  the 
ministers  who,  while  they  saw  much  to  disap- 


72  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

prove,  yet  admitted  the  substantial  genuine- 
ness of  the  work.  He  regarded  it  as  essentially- 
evil  and  opposed  it  with  all  the  energy  he  could 
command. 

Dr.  Chauncy  successfully  championed  the 
freedom  of  the  churches  and  fearing  that  the 
appointment  of  Bishops  for  America  would  be 
followed  by  attempts  to  promote  Episcopacy 
by  force,  he  wrote  forcibly  as  follows, — "It 
may  be  relied  on,  our  people  would  not  be  easy, 
if  restrained  in  the  exercise  of  that  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  hath  made  them  free;  yea, 
they  would  hazard  everything  dear  to  them, 
their  estates,  their  very  lives,  rather  than  to 
suffer  their  necks  to  be  put  under  that  yoke  of 
bondage  which  was  so  galling  to  their  fathers 
and  occasioned  their  retreat  into  this  distant 
land,  that  they  might  enjoy  the  freedom  of 
men  and  Christians." 

In  1762  he  first  showed  forth  the  doctrine  of 
the  final  salvation  of  all  men.  This  had  been 
a  subject  of  earnest  thought  with  him  for  some 
time  and  he  published  one  or  two  other  books 
about  the  same  time,  wherein  he  affirmed  the 
restoration  of  all  souls,  denied  the  Calvinistic 
doctrines  about  future  punishment,  and  ques- 
tioned the  doctrine  of  the  trinity. 

Through  his  sermons  and  publications    on 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  73 

these  themes  Dr.  Chauncy  became  the  best 
known  of  the  hberal  leaders  in  the  Massa- 
chusetts churches  before  Channing.  He  was 
the  representative  scholar  of  the  earlier  liberal 
movement,  as  Jonathan  Mayhew  was  the  rep- 
resentative orator.  Theologically,  he  was  al- 
ways a  difficult  man  to  classify.  His  uncon- 
sciousness of  the  inevitable  consequences  of 
his  convictions  was  typical  of  the  early  stages 
of  the  movement,  which  became  known  later 
as  Unitarianism. 

Chauncy's  ministry  was  prolonged  to  the 
close  of  its  59th  year.  Old  age  had  somewhat 
limited  his  activities,  but  his  mind  was  keenly 
alive  to  the  end.  He  received  the  Rev.  John 
Clarke  as  his  colleague  and  was  thereby  re- 
lieved somewhat  from  public  labors,  but  he 
continued  to  occupy  the  pulpit  part  of  the  time 
to  the  end  of  his  life,  dying  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
three.  John  Clarke  lived  with  Dr.  Chauncy 
for  nine  years  as  a  son  with  a  father  in  the  most 
respectful  and  affectionate  intimacy  and  con- 
tinued as  pastor  with  great  acceptance  until  his 
death. 

At  this  time  distinction  as  to  sex  and  qual- 
ity were  still  to  a  certain  extent  recognized  in 
seating  the  congregation.  The  men  and 
women  did  not  sit  separately,  as  was  the  cus- 


74  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

torn  in  the  old  South  Church  at  this  period, 
but  there  were  a  few  long  seats  known  as  men 
seats  and  women  seats,  which  were  reserved 
for  the  humbler  sort  of  people,  probably  the 
servants  of  the  proprietors. 

For  six  months  during  1784  and  1785  while 
extensive  repairs  were  being  made,  the  First 
Church  accepted  the  kind  invitation  of  Brattle 
Street  Church  to  worship  with  them. 

On  the  death  of  Dr.  Chauncy  no  attempt 
was  made  to  settle  a  colleague  with  Dr.  Clarke, 
and  the  church  has  remained  in  charge  of  a 
single  minister  ever  since.* 

After  the  death  of  Dr.  Clarke  in  1799  the 
society  extended  a  call  to  the  Rev.  William 
Emerson,  father  of  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson, 
which  was  accepted.  It  was  during  the  pastor- 
ate of  Mr.  Emerson  that  it  was  decided  to  sell 
the  Old  Brick  Church.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  on  the  night  of  the  Boston  Massacre, 
in  1770,  the  alarm  was  sounded  from  the  Old 
Brick  Church. 

The  building  of  their  fourth  house  of  wor- 
ship, or  Chauncy  Place  Meeting  House,  as  it 
was  afterwards  called,  seems  to  have  been  per- 
formed with  great  dispatch  and  very  little  fric- 

*Note  —  There  is  a  John  Clarke  Fund  now  —  the  managers  of 
hich  give  vacations  in  the  country  to  women  and  children. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  75 

tion.  Out  of  134  pews  in  Chauncy  Place 
Church,  114  were  owned  and  occupied  at  the 
opening  of  the  church.  The  Theological 
Library  was  placed  in  the  vestry  and  there 
was  a  parsonage  on  the  corner  of  Summer 
Street  and  Chauncy  Place.  After  the  death 
of  Emerson,  which  occurred  less  than  three 
years  after  the  removal  from  Cornhill,  the  so- 
ciety remained  without  a  settled  pastor  for  two 
years. 

John  Love  joy  Abbot  was  the  next  unani- 
mous choice  in  1813 — but  he  had  scarcely 
entered  upon  his  duties  when  he  was  obhged 
to  go  abroad  for  his  health.  He  died  the  next 
year  without  preaching  again. 

The  ordination  of  Nathaniel  Langdon 
Frothingham  took  place  in  March,  1815,  and 
he  continued  as  minister  for  thirty-five  years. 
He  was  the  author  of  many  published  sermons 
and  was  also  a  noteworthy  writer  of  hymns. 
He  was  a  finished  scholar,  a  refined,  instruc- 
tive and  able  preacher.  Though  relieved  of 
all  ministerial  responsibility  during  the  last 
years  of  his  life,  his  connection  with  the  society 
as  a  parishioner  was  never  severed.  The  last 
six  years  of  his  life  he  suffered  extremely 
through  the  total  loss  of  eyesight. 

The  Rev.  Rufus  ElUs  from  the  church  in 


76  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

Northampton  was  called  after  Mr.  Frothing- 
ham's  resignation,  and  was  installed  in  May, 
1853.  After  a  few  years  it  became  evident 
that  the  church  must  have  a  new  home,  and 
under  his  leadership  the  change  was  made  to 
the  present  beautiful  edifice,  the  fifth  house 
of  worship,  on  the  corner  of  Berkeley  and 
Marlborough  Streets,  which  cost  about  $325,- 
000.  It  accommodates  about  1,000  persons, 
has  a  fine  organ  and  wonderful  stained  glass 
windows.  The  amount  realized  from  the  sale 
of  the  Chauncy  Place  Church,  even  when 
added  to  all  the  available  assets  received  from 
the  sale  of  pews,  etc.,  did  not  nearly  cover  this 
cost,  but  various  members  of  the  society 
pledged  themselves  to  cover  the  large  defi- 
ciency of  over  $125,000,  and  in  1876  the  report 
at  the  annual  meeting  shows  the  society  en- 
tirely free  from  debt.  It  was  during  Mr. 
ElHs's  time  that  a  change  took  place  in  the 
Sunday  school,  which  heretofore  had  been 
distinctively  a  parish  gathering,  but  was  now 
enlarged  by  taking  in  children  outside  the  con- 
gregation, and  the  attendance  numbered  450 
children  at  one  time.  Out  of  the  Sunday 
school  sprang  other  useful  organizations  such 
as  the  sewing-school  for  children,  the  dress- 
making class  and  a  singing-school.     Dr.  Ellis 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  77 

was  not  a  great  preacher  in  the  sense  of  reach- 
ing a  large  circle  of  hearers,  but  something 
in  the  substance  of  his  sermons  or  his  earnest 
goodness,  attracted  and  held  both  the  highly 
cultivated  and  every-day  sort  of  men.  He  was 
a  faithful  pastor,  a  devoted  friend,  a  man  of 
deep  spirituality  and  religious  feeling. 

After  a  ministry  of  33  years  Mr.  EUis  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Stopford  A.  Brooke  who 
served  the  society  for  twelve  years,  and  he  in 
turn  was  followed  by  Rev.  James  Eels  for 
seven  years.  This  brings  us  to  the  present 
ministry  of  Rev.  Charles  E.  Park,  who  seems 
to  be  continuing  all  the  good  movements 
started  by  his  predecessors. 

The  Girls'  Fraternity  Club,  organized  years 
ago  by  Rev.  Stopford  Brooke,  still  continues 
to  meet  every  Monday  and  Friday  evening, 
about  140  members  being  entered  for  classes 
in  millinery,  embroidery,  woodcarving  and 
painting. 

On  Saturday  afternoons  about  ninety  chil- 
dren meet  for  lessons  in  sewing  and  dress- 
making. 

The  church  supports  laundry  and  cooking 
classes  at  the  Norfolk  House  Center;  main- 
tains a  scholarship  in  Harvard  College  and 
one  in  the  Harvard  Divinity  School;  equips 


78  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

and  supports  a  surgical  ward  and  a  free  bed 
in  a  hospital.  There  is  also  a  Mothers'  Club 
of  about  twenty-five  which  meets  once  a  month 
and  a  charity  committee  which  meets  every 
two  weeks  and  disperses  annually  about  $1,- 
500,  among  the  poorer  families  of  the  big  mis- 
sion Sunday  school. 

Besides  these  practical  charitable  activities 
and  its  religious  influence,  the  church  now 
contributes  to  the  higher  life  of  the  city  by 
maintaining,  throughout  the  winter  season, 
weekly  vesper  services  which  are  free  to  the 
public. 

Thus  we  have  seen  that  The  First  Church  in 
Boston  has  a  wonderful  history  of  285  years 
and  is  to-day  fulfilling  its  noble  traditions. 

Note. — A  large  part  of  this  paper  is  quoted  directly 
from  "Heralds  of  a  Liberal  Faith,"  edited  by  S.  A. 
Eliot,  and  also  from  Ripley's  "History  of  the  First 
Church." 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  79 

WEST  CHURCH 

Being  invited  to  write  a  paper  on  the  West 
Church  and  its  ministers,  I  shall  quote  freely 
from  the  excellent  book  edited  by  the  Rev. 
Samuel  A.  Eliot,  entitled  "The  Heralds  of  a 
Liberal  Faith/' 

Of  Jonathan  Mayhew,  the  first  minister,  we 
are  told  that  "on  the  6th  of  March,  1747,  the 
West  Church  in  Boston  invited  him  to  become 
their  pastor."  On  the  day  first  appointed  for 
the  ordination  only  two  of  the  clergymen  in- 
vited were  in  attendance,  owing,  as  it  was 
understood,  to  rumors  about  the  theological 
unsoundness  of  the  candidate.  Those  two  did 
not  think  proper  to  proceed,  but  advised  the 
calling  of  another  and  a  larger  council.  This 
advice  was  complied  with.  A  council  consist- 
ing of  fourteen  ministers,  not  one  of  whom 
was  from  Boston,  was  convoked;  and  ten  of 
these  assembled  on  the  17th  of  June  and  har- 
moniously inducted  the  candidate  into  ofiice. 
Most  of  the  members  of  the  Council  who  were 
present  were  reckoned  among  the  "liberal" 
men  of  that  day,  though  there  must  have  been 
considerable  difference  in  their  religious  views. 
That  Mayhew's  liberal  opinions  were  already 
considered  heretical  may  be  inferred  not  only 


80  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

from  the  fact  that  no  Boston  minister  took  part 
in  his  ordination,  but  from  another  equally  sig- 
nificant circumstance;  namely,  that  he  never 
became  a  member  of  the  Boston  Association 
of  Congregational  Ministers.  He  was  a  thor- 
ough radical,  a  redoubtable  pioneer.  He  did 
not  practice  the  reticence  which  marked  so 
many  of  his  contemporaries,  who  really  shared 
many  of  his  convictions.  He  spoke  out  with 
fearless  candor  and  tremendous  force.  He 
was,  as  described  by  one  of  his  successors,  the 
"first  preacher  in  Boston  of  an  untrinitarian 
God,  most  potent  clerical  assenter  in  America 
of  civil  and  religious  freedom — a  communi- 
cant who  fresh  from  the  table  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  wrote  to  James  Otis;  "Conmiunion 
of  churches;  why  not  communion  of  the 
colonies?" 

While  Mayhew  by  temperament  and  by  op- 
portunity was  chiefly  influential  as  an  orator, 
yet  he  was  also  a  reformer,  a  scholar,  and  a 
trenchant  writer  on  themes  both  theological 
and  political.  "Jonathan  Mayhew  was  notably 
the  foremost  pulpit  orator  of  New  England, 
and  a  pioneer  of  religious  freedom,  but  was 
also  the  fervent  patriot,  the  torch  bearer  who 
lighted  the  fires  of  his  country's  liberties.  He 
was  not  only  the  associate,  but  the  inspirer  of 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  81 

the  leaders  of  the  patriot  cause  in  the  days  be- 
fore the  Revolution.  James  Otis,  John  and 
Samuel  Adams,  James  Bowdoin,  John  Han- 
cock and  Robert  Treat  Paine  were  among  his 
intimate  friends."  He  died  when  46  years 
of  age,  his  pastorate  having  continued  for 
nineteen  years. 

Simeon  Howard,  its  second  minister,  "was 
unanimously  invited  to  become  the  pastor  of 
the  West  Church,"  and  was  ordained  in  1767. 
The  ministry  of  Dr.  Howard  in  Boston  was 
painfully  interrupted  by  the  Revolution. 
While  the  British  troops  were  in  possession  of 
the  town,  the  house  in  which  he  preached  was 
turned  into  a  barrack,  and  his  congregation 
scattered  in  every  direction.  Having  many 
friends  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  having  been  once 
or  twice  applied  to  to  send  them  a  minister,  he 
proposed  to  some  of  his  parishioners  to  retire 
with  him  thither  for  a  refuge,  and  though  he 
was  scarcely  serious  at  the  moment  in  making 
the  proposal,  they  in  their  despondency  in- 
stantly fell  in  with  it,  and  the  arrangements 
were  quickly  made  for  their  departure. 

On  his  return  to  Boston,  after  an  absence 
of  a  year  and  a  half,  he  found  his  society  so 
far  reduced  in  numbers  from  death,  emigra- 
tion, and  other  causes  that  they  were  seriously 


82  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

apprehensive  that  they  should  be  obliged  to 
disband,  from  their  inability  to  support  a  min- 
ister. He  refused  however  to  listen  to  such 
a  suggestion,  assuring  them  that  he  would  re- 
ceive whatever  compensation  they  could  give 
him,  and  would  continue  with  them  while  three 
famihes  remained.  He  further  agreed  "to 
accept  the  contribution  that  should  from  time 
to  time  be  collected  and  paid  him  during  his 
ministry  as  a  full  compensation,  any  agree- 
ment with  the  society  previously  made  not- 
withstanding." The  Society,  as  they  recov- 
ered their  strength,  did  not  forget  the  generous 
sacrifices  which  he  had  made  in  their  behalf. 

Dr.  Howard's  salary,  raised  from  three 
pounds  twelve  shillings  a  week  in  1777,  to  four 
pounds  per  week  in  1780,  probably  in  propor- 
tion to  the  number  of  families  in  the  parish, 
was  the  largest  salary  paid  in  town,  ($240.  a 
year.) 

As  a  preacher.  Dr.  Howard  was  far  from 
being  in  the  common  acceptation  of  the  word, 
eloquent,  but  was  distinguished  for  a  truly 
patriarchal  simplicity  of  character.  He  evi- 
dently had  a  humble  opinion  of  himself,  though 
he  had  nothing  of  that  spurious  humility  that 
leads  some  men  to  be  forever  ostentatiously 
acknowledging  their  own  imperfections.     He 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  83 

was  charitable  in  his  estimate  of  character,  and 
never  imputed  evil  motives  when  any  other 
could  possibly  be  assigned.  He  was  bland 
and  gentle  in  his  manners,  calm  and  equable 
in  temper,  and  more  inclined  to  listen  than  to 
speak.  His  parishioners  loved  him  as  a 
brother,  and  honored  him  as  a  father;  his 
brethren  in  the  ministry  always  met  him  with 
a  grateful  and  cordial  welcome;  and  the  com- 
munity at  large  reverenced  him  for  his  sim- 
plicity, integrity  and  benevolence.  He  died 
after  an  illness  of  a  week,  in  1804,  in  the  72nd 
year  of  his  age.  The  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the  Uni- 
versity of  Edinburgh.  He  was  overseer  and 
a  fellow  of  Harvard  College,  and  a  member  of 
many  local  societies  for  the  promotion  of  lit- 
erary, charitable,  and  religious  objects. 

Dr.  Howard  was  succeeded  by  Charles 
Lowell  who  was  born  in  Boston  in  1782,  his 
father  being  an  eminent  lawyer.  He  was  a 
student  at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover,  and  in 
1797  entered  Harvard  College  as  a  Sopho- 
more. After  graduating  in  1800,  he  studied 
law  for  one  year  with  his  elder  brother,  John 
Lowell,  Jr.,  and  then  relinquished  it  for  the 
study  of  theology.  In  1802  he  entered  the 
Divinity  School  of  the  University   of   Edin- 


84  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

burgh,  and  in  1804  visited  London  and  Paris, 
meeting  and  becoming  acquainted  with  many 
illustrious  men.  In  Paris  he  had  frequent 
opportunities  of  seeing  Napoleon  Bonaparte, 
just  after  he  had  been  proclaimed  emperor. 

In  1805  he  returned  to  his  native  country, 
and  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the 
West  Church  in  1806,  continuing  as  sole  pastor 
of  the  church  for  more  than  37  years.  His 
health  having  become  feeble,  Mr.  Cyrus 
Augustus  Bartol  became  his  colleague  in 
1837;  but  Dr.  Lowell  continued  his  pastoral 
relations,  officiating  however,  very  rarely,  as 
long  as  he  lived.  He  died  in  Cambridge  in 
1861  at  the  age  of  78  years.  He  had  six  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  was  James  Russell  Lowell. 
At  the  height  of  his  power  Dr.  Lowell 
preached  to  the  largest  congregation  in  Bos- 
ton, and  the  West  Church  was  the  home  of 
three  or  four  hundred  of  the  leading  families 
of  the  community.  His  sermons  were  earnest 
and  direct  appeals  to  the  conscience  and  the 
emotional  nature.  He  wrote  with  faultless 
taste  and  simple  elegance.  In  his  personal 
appearance,  there  was  a  careful  blending  of 
majesty  and  grace.  He  had  a  clear,  pene- 
trating voice,  a  handsome  face  and  figure,  a 
natural  earnestness  of    manner    which    made 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  85 

him  a  master  of  the  orator's  art.  He  knew 
every  man,  woman  and  child  in  his  large  par- 
ish and  was  assiduous  in  giving  to  them  coun- 
sel, encouragement  and  comfort.  No  minister 
in  Boston  was  more  beloved  and  honored. 
Theologically,  he  was  undoubtedly  a  Unita- 
rian; but  he  resolutely  refused  to  attach  him- 
self to  any  denomination  or  to  call  himself  by 
any  name  other  than  Christian. 

A  visit  to  the  old  West  Church,  now  a 
branch  of  the  Public  Library,  at  the  corner  of 
Cambridge  and  Lynde  Streets,  brings  back 
many  memories  of  the  past.  The  pews  of 
course  are  gone,  and  the  fine  old  mahogany 
pulpit,  every  line  of  which  is  distinctly  photo- 
graphed upon  my  memory,  may  still  be  seen  in 
the  church  at  Meeting  House  Hill.  Behind 
the  pulpit  were  rich  red  brocade  curtains  mak- 
ing a  fine  background  for  Dr.  Bartol's  white 
head.  Now,  in  their  place,  hang  the  four  oil 
portraits  of  the  four  ministers,  about  whom  we 
have  been  hearing,  the  gift  of  Miss  Elizabeth 
H.  Bartol.  The  galleries  still  remain,  as  well 
as  the  strikingly  handsome  clock,  much  cov- 
eted by  Jewish  tradesmen,  the  librarian  told 
me.  Just  here  let  me  say,  that  if  any  one  de- 
sires to  see  the  interior  of  the  church,  exactly 
as  it  looked  in  the  old  days,  a  framed  photo- 


86  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

graph  hangs  in  the  entrance  hall  of  the  Amer- 
ican Unitarian  Association.  After  it  was  no 
longer  used  as  a  church,  it  was  purchased  for 
preservation  by  Mr.  Andrew  C.  Wheelwright 
and  in  1894  the  city  of  Boston  bought  it  for  a 
Public  Library.  The  audience  gathered  there 
now  is  very  different  from  the  one  of  the  old 
days.  All  chairs  are  occupied  by  quietly  ab- 
sorbed readers,  and  the  librarian  told  me,  that 
many  of  the  unemployed  come  in  the  mornings, 
while  on  Monday  afternoons  and  evenings,  it 
is  crowded  with  Jews.  On  Thursday  after- 
noons there  is  story  telling  for  children  in  the 
room  below,  formerly  the  old  Sunday-school 
room.  In  fact,  the  still  handsome  interior, 
though  stripped  of  many  of  its  former  beauties, 
is  well  worth  a  visit,  and  the  librarian  begged 
me  to  urge  the  members  of  my  church  to  be- 
come interested  in  it. 

As  a  very  little  girl,  I  can  remember  a  gal- 
lery high  up,  over  the  organ,  where  colored 
people  only  were  allowed  to  sit,  but  which 
happily  disappeared  later.  I  have  also  the 
memory  of  going  always  to  morning  and  after- 
noon service,  and  of  seeing  entire  families, 
mother,  father  and  children  walking  quietly  up 
the  aisle  to  their  pews. 

There  were  no  automobiles  or  Sunday  con- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  81 

certs  then.  After  a  sufficient  sum  was  raised 
to  purchase  a  new  organ,  Mr.  John  K.  Paine 
became  the  organist,  and  I  can  remember  how 
we  lingered  at  the  end  of  the  morning  service, 
to  hear  those  magnificent  toccatas  and  fugues, 
by  Bach.  As  members  of  the  choir  at  one 
time,  we  had  as  contralto,  Miss  Annie  Louise 
Gary,  a  young  struggling  singer  then,  who 
later  reached  the  climax  of  her  success  in 
opera  and  oratorio,  in  America  and  Europe, 
— also  Mr.  George  L.  Osgood,  the  sweet  tenor 
soloist  and  teacher. 

Beyond  the  wonderful  Sunday  "speaking," 
as  the  Saturday  newspaper  advertised  it.  Dr. 
Bartol  had  little  gift  for  organization,  or  for 
making  his  flock  acquainted,  and  much  of  his 
high,  almost  Emersonian  thought  was  food  to 
the  older  members  of  the  congregations,  but 
very  far  above  the  heads  of  the  younger 
contingent. 

Had  only  that  seed  of  warm  and  loving  fel- 
lowship so  widely  recognized,  and  generously 
offered  in  our  own  church,  been  planted  in 
those  young  lives,  how  much  wider  and  far 
reaching  the  result  might  have  been. 

The  original  church  was  gathered  in  1737, 
and  William  Hooper  called  as  its  minister;  he 


88  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

only  served  for  nine  years  and  then  returned 
to  the  Episcopal  Church. 

The  church  was  then  of  wood,  with  a  steeple, 
and  as  it  stood  upon  an  elevation,  the  British 
troops  suspected  that  it  was  used  for  giving 
signals  to  the  Continental  army,  and  the 
steeple  was  taken  down  in  1775.  In  1806 
the  present  brick  church  was  erected.  We 
read  that  the  outside  clock,  procured  by  sub- 
scription, the  town  contributing  $100,  was 
made  by  an  ingenious  artist,  Mr.  Stowell  of 
Worcester,  and  cost  with  the  dial  $415.  The 
bell  was  made  in  Gloucester,  England,  in 
1745. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  89 

SECOND  CHURCH  OF  BOSTON 

Boston  was  not  yet  twenty  years  old  when 
the  Second  Church  was  founded  in  1649,  but 
in  that  short  time  great  changes  had  taken 
place  in  the  little  peninsula.  Forests  and 
thickets  had  been  cleared  away  and  pleasant 
streets  and  gardens  and  fruitful  fields  had 
taken  their  places.  Cabins  had  given  place 
to  large  buildings,  some  even  of  brick  and  tile 
and  stone.  Wharves  stretched  into  the  har- 
bor; ships  rode  at  anchor  in  the  bay.  The 
little  cluster  of  buildings,  formerly  nestled  for 
safety  between  the  three  hills  then  crowned 
with  forts  and  batteries  of  cannon,  was  spread- 
ing over  the  plain.  The  First  Church  had 
been  founded  only  seventeen  years  before  and 
already  the  original  building  "which  had  en- 
closed some  of  the  noblest  and  choicest  spirits 
that  ever  bore  the  Christian  name,"  where 
Winthrop  and  Dudley  worshipped  and  where 
the  eloquent  John  Cotton  preached,  had  made 
way  for  a  larger  and  more  comfortable  build- 
ing. And  now  this  new  building  was  insuffi- 
cient; particularly  the  northern  part  of  the 
settlement  needed  a  new  church  building.  To 
the  Puritans,  the  house  of  God  was  the  first 
care;  around  it  their  houses  were  grouped.  The 


90  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

idea  of  a  Theocracy,  with  God  as  immediate 
ruler  and  governor,  inspired  all  their  move- 
ments and  thoughts.  So  the  Second  Church 
was  built  of  wood  at  the  head  of  North  Square 
not  far  from  the  spot  where  still  stands  the 
quaint  house  of  Paul  Revere,  which  most  of 
us  have  seen.  It  would  be  most  interesting 
if  we  could  form  some  picture  of  the  building 
in  our  minds.  But  the  church  records  barely 
suggest  that  some  of  the  pews  were  provided 
with  private  doors  through  the  side  of  the 
church  into  the  street,  though  they  do  not  give 
any  reason  for  this  peculiar  method  of  en- 
trance. John  Cotton,  minister  of  the  first 
church,  favored  the  building  of  the  new  church, 
even  if  it  drew  away  some  of  his  parishioners. 
"His  name  was  John,"  says  the  quaintest  of 
New  England  historians,  "and  like  this  great 
forerunner  of  Jesus,  who  bore  the  same  appel- 
lation, he  reckoned  his  joy  fulfilled  in  this,  that 
in  his  own  decrease,  the  interests  of  his  Master 
would  increase."  At  this  time  Boston  was 
the  most  flourishing  town  in  the  colony,  but 
there  were  also  thriving  settlements  with 
churches  at  Salem,  Charlestown,  Dorchester, 
Watertown,  and  other  places  in  the  vicinity. 
Harvard  College  was  an  established  seat  of 
learning.     John  Winthrop's  career  as  Cover- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  91 

nor  of  Massachusetts  had  just  closed  by  his 
death  in  1649.  The  first  sermon  in  the  Sec- 
ond Church  was  preached  in  June,  1650,  by 
Samuel  Mather,  son  of  Richard  Mather  of  the 
Dorchester  church.  On  that  memorable  day  in 
June,  the  seven  original  members,  "being 
called  of  God  to  enter  into  church  fellowship 
together" — namely,  "Michael  Powell,  James 
Ashwood,  Christopher  Gibson,  John  Phillips, 
George  Davis,  Michael  Wills  and  John  Farn- 
ham'*  signed  a  sacred  covenant.  "We  here 
freely  this  day,"  so  the  covenant  reads,  "do 
avouch  the  Lord  to  be  our  God  and  ourselves 
to  be  his  people." 

It  was  a  layman's  movement,  a  people's 
church,  a  democratic  organization.  The  new 
church  tried  to  induce  Samuel  Mather  to  re- 
main with  them  as  minister,  but  could  only 
prevail  upon  him  to  stay  for  a  few  months, 
when  he  returned  to  England  where  he  re- 
sided. For  several  years  worship  was  con- 
ducted by  Michael  Powell,  layman,  one  of  the 
original  seven,  whose  services  were  so  accept- 
able that  the  church  wished  to  ordain  him  as 
teacher,  and  would  have  done  so  had  not  the 
civil  authorities  interfered.  Their  objection 
to  him  was  that  he  was  ''illiterate  as  to  aca- 
demical education"!    After  remaining  without 


92  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

a  pastor  for  four  years,  John  Mayo  was  or- 
dained in  1655.  Little  is  known  of  him;  he 
had  probably  passed  the  prime  of  life  and  was 
perhaps  not  a  distinguished  man.  Increase 
Mather,  who  was  his  colleague  for  a  time,  and 
who  succeeded  him  calls  him  "a  blessing  to  his 
people'*  and  adds  that  they  worked  together  in 
love  and  peace  for  eleven  years.  And  now 
comes  the  great  period  in  the  history  of  the 
Second  Church,  the  reign  of  the  Mathers, 
father  and  son,  which  lasted  some  sixty  years. 
In  1664  Increase  Mather  was  ordained.  His 
extraordinary  name  is  said  to  have  been  given 
him  in  gratitude  to  God  for  the  providential 
prosperity  of  the  Colony  at  that  time.  He 
came  from  the  best  stock  of  the  colony;  his 
father  was  Richard  Mather,  the  well  known 
minister  of  Dorchester,  one  of  the  company 
who  had  been  put  out  of  the  English  church 
for  non-conformity  to  ceremonies  which  were 
against  their  conscience.  Richard  Mather  is 
buried  in  the  old  Dorchester  burying  ground. 
His  mother  was  also  a  woman  of  piety.  "My 
child,"  she  often  said  to  the  young  Increase, 
"if  God  makes  thee  a  good  scholar  and  a  good 
Christian,  thou  wilt  have  all  thy  mother  ever 
asked  for  thee."  Entering  Harvard  at  the 
age    of   twelve,    his    parents   were,    not    un- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  93 

naturally,  solicitous  for  his  feeble  health  and 
consigned  him  to  the  care  of  the  famous  Mr. 
Norton  of  Ipswich,  where  he  remained  for  sev- 
eral years,  was  brought  near  death  by  a 
dangerous  illness,  and,  on  his  recovery,  re- 
solved to  put  away  every  sin  and  make  his 
peace  with  God.  This  resolution,  consigned 
to  writing,  he  considered  peculiarly  sacred,  and 
seventy  years  after  caused  his  grandsons  to 
copy  it,  and  made  its  perusal  a  cordial  to  him 
through  the  valley  of  the  shadow.  Graduat- 
ing at  Harvard  in  1656,  he  began  preaching 
before  he  was  nineteen,  but  the  next  year  sailed 
for  Europe  where  he  took  his  second  degree  at 
Trinity  College,  Dublin.  Many  churches 
made  the  young  divine  liberal  offers  if  he 
would  wear  the  surplice  and  use  the  book  of 
Common  Prayer.  Like  his  father,  he  turned 
his  back  upon  England,  to  find  a  harder  but 
freer  field  of  work  in  the  new  world.  Here  as 
many  as  twelve  parishes  sought  his  services, 
before  he  chose  the  Second  Church  as  the  field 
of  his  labors.  The  burning  of  the  first  build- 
ing in  1676  did  not  check  the  growth  of  the 
young  church.  Of  this  calamity  the  minister 
had  a  powerful  presentiment  leading  him  to 
warn  his  people  on  the  two  previous  Sundays 
from  the  pulpit,  and  even  urge  his  family  to 


94  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

change  their  dwelKng,  which  was  burned.  In- 
deed Increase  Mather  seems  often  to  have  ut- 
tered warnings  to  his  people;  like  many  re- 
ligious people  of  his  day,  he  was  much  given 
to  introspection  and  was  of  a  gloomy  tempera- 
ment. He  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  great 
preachers  of  the  day.  His  voice  was  power- 
ful and  commanding,  and  he  used  it  most  ef- 
fectively, with  such  ''tonitruous  cogency,"  as 
his  son  says,  "that  his  hearers  were  struck  with 
awe  like  that  produced  by  the  fall  of  thunder- 
bolts." Every  sermon  was  written  carefully, 
then  learned  and  delivered  without  notes  that 
it  might  be  more  effective.  His  manner  of 
spending  his  time  has  come  down  to  us.  Every 
day  of  the  week  except  Sunday  he  spent  work- 
ing on  his  sermons.  On  Friday  they  must  be 
finished  and  on  Saturday  he  committed  them 
to  memory.  For  many  years  he  was  very 
poor  on  account  of  his  large  family  and  small 
salary,  and  his  diary  contains  many  expres- 
sions of  his  distress  on  this  account.  "To  be 
in  debt  to  the  dishonor  of  the  gospel  is  a 
wounding,  killing  thought  to  me."  Yet,  in 
spite  of  his  poverty,  he  always  set  aside  a  tenth 
of  his  income  to  pious  uses.  In  the  bloody 
war  of  1675,  called  King  Philip's  War,  In- 
crease Mather  obtained  a  whole  shipload  of 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  95 

provisions  from  Ireland  together  with  money 
and  clothing  from  London  to  be  distributed 
among  the  distressed  inhabitants  of  New  Eng- 
land. This  really  seems  like  these  days  of  the 
Great  War  with  conditions  reversed.  Dr. 
Mather  was  a  dignified  courtly  Christian 
gentleman  somewhat  inclined  to  Puritanical 
austerity.  His  contemporaries  said  "it  was  an 
edifying  thing  only  to  see  him  in  public  assem- 
blies; for  his  very  countenance  was  a  sermon." 
The  diary  of  his  earlier  years  is  constantly 
marked  with  the  significant  memento  "Heart 
Serious."  His  days  were  full  of  prayer.  In  1685 
Increase  Mather  was  appointed  president  of 
Harvard.  He  held  the  position  for  sixteen 
years,  but  still  continued  his  pastorate  of  the 
Second  Church  and  his  residence  in  Boston. 
It  has  been  wittily  said  of  him  that  "when  not 
busy  caring  for  his  church  or  shaping  the  poli- 
tics of  the  colony,  he  would  step  over  to  Cam- 
bridge and  take  charge  of  Harvard  College." 
He  held  the  first  D.  D.  given  by  Harvard.  He 
was  also  a  man  of  affairs  and  rendered  serv- 
ices to  the  state  as  well  as  to  the  church.  Be- 
tween Charles  II  and  the  colonies,  particularly 
Massachusetts,  there  had  been  no  cordial  agree- 
ment, and  finally  the  king  called  upon  them  to 
surrender    their    charter.     Increase     Mather 


96  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

hastened  to  England  and  was  so  successful  in 
his  diplomatic  mission  that  in  1692  came  the 
welcome  news  that  King  William  had  granted 
a  new  charter  which  secured  to  Massachusetts 
a  government  as  free  as  any  in  the  civilized 
world;  and  the  first  governor  was  Sir  William 
Phipps,  a  devout  New  England  Calvinist  and 
a  member  of  the  Mathers'  church.  Increase 
Mather  was  also  instrumental  in  bringing 
about  a  happy  union  of  the  Plymouth  and 
Massachusetts  colonies.  On  the  fiftieth  an- 
niversary of  his  settlement,  he  requested  a  dis- 
missal from  the  church.  This  the  church  was 
unwilling  to  grant,  but  voted  that  "to  render 
his  old  age  easy  to  him,"  the  labors  of  the  pul- 
pit should  be  expected  of  him  only  when  he 
felt  able  and  inclined.  His  death  occasioned 
universal  mourning  and  few  citizens  had  re- 
ceived so  honorable  a  funeral. 

Cotton  Mather  has,  doubtless,  been  more 
widely  known  than  any  New  England  preach- 
er. Son  of  Increase  Mather,  grandson  of  John 
Cotton,  he  was  born  in  Boston  in  1662.  Edu- 
cated at  the  Free  School,  first  under  Benjamin 
Thompson,  later  under  the  celebrated  Ezekiel 
Cheever,  he  entered  Harvard  at  twelve,  took 
his  first  degree  with  marked  distinction  at  six- 
teen, his  second  at  nineteen.     At  first  a  stam- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  97 

mering  utterance  stood  in  his  way,  but  this 
being  overcome,  he  studied  theology  and  was 
ordained  colleague  to  his  father  in  1686.  He 
was  a  man  of  marked  eccentricity,  but  he  wore 
no  disguise;  he  was  most  industrious,  and  was 
most  earnest  to  do  good.  Benjamin  Frankhn 
attributed  all  his  own  usefulness  and  eminence 
to  a  book  of  Cotton  Mather's, — "Essays  to  do 
good."  There  is  hardly  a  philanthropic  enter- 
prise of  to-day,  which  Mather  did  not  antici- 
pate. He  was  a  strenuous  advocate  of 
temperance;  he  was  much  interested  in  seamen. 
He  was  an  earnest  upholder  of  the  rights  of 
women,  for  whom  he  had  a  high  respect.  His 
treatment  of  slaves  was  ahead  of  his  time. 
Noticing  that  the  slaves  of  Boston  had  no  op- 
portunities for  education,  he  established  a 
school  for  them.  He  had  much  at  heart  the 
Christianization  of  negroes  abroad,  as  well  as 
at  home.  He  took  a  bold  stand  for  the  intro- 
duction of  inoculation  for  small  pox,  when  all 
the  doctors  with  the  exception  of  Dr.  Zabdiel 
Boylston  were  against  it.  Indeed,  so  fierce 
was  the  people's  rage  against  him,  that  his  Hf  e 
was  in  danger. 

Christian  Missions,  Bible  Societies,  Trades- 
men's Libraries  and  Associations  for  the  moral 
and  religious  improvement  of  young  men  were 


98  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

among  his  favorite  projects.  He  made  a 
catalogue  of  all  the  poor  of  his  flock  and  of  the 
town.  This  "List  of  Miserables,"  as  he  called 
it,  he  kept  about  him  in  his  visits  among  his 
parishioners  and  thus  he  often  was  able  to  en- 
list sympathy  in  a  special  case.  Someone  who 
knew  him  well  said,  "The  ambition  and  charac- 
ter of  his  Ufe  was  serviceableness."  He  was 
utterly  without  avarice  and  he  had  moral 
courage.  His  devout  spirit  has  never  been 
questioned.  The  parental  relation  between 
father  and  son  was  most  beautiful.  Cotton 
Mather  was  a  kind  father  and  did  not  have  an 
"austere  carriage"  towards  his  children  like 
many  parents  of  his  time.  His  ideas  on  the 
education  of  children  were  ahead  of  his  time. 
He  first  convinced  his  children  of  his  lovCj  then 
impressed  them  that  it  was  shameful  to  do 
wrong,  and  showed  his  surprise  that  the  child 
could  be  so  unworthy.  Removal  from  his 
presence  was  an  ordinary  punishment.  If  the 
closing  hours  of  life  are  a  touch-stone  of  char- 
acter, Cotton  Mather  bore  the  test  well,  for  he 
said, — "And  now,  vain  world,  farewell.  Thou 
hast  been  to  me  an  uneasy  wilderness.  Wel- 
come, everlasting  life !  I  will  go  in  and  praise 
the  Lord  !*'  When  his  son  bent  over  him,  ask- 
ing what  word  of  condensed  wisdom  he  would 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  99 

give  as  a  most  precious  talisman,  the  instant 
response  was  the  single  word  "fruitful."  With 
all  these  traits  he  must  have  been  essentially 
a  good  man.  And  yet  he  had  grotesque  char- 
acteristics; he  was  vain,  and  one  could  hardly 
expect  him  to  be  otherwise.  Descended  from 
a  double  line  of  famous  clergymen,  he  was  a 
prodigy  at  school  and  treated  as  such.  At  his 
graduation  from  Harvard,  President  Oakes 
said  "Mather  is  named  Cotton  Mather.  What 
a  name!  But  should  he  resemble  his  venerable 
grandfathers,  John  Cotton  and  Richard 
Mather,  in  piety,  learning,  splendor  of  intel- 
lect, solidity  of  judgment,  prudence  and  wis- 
dom, he  will  indeed  bear  the  palm.  And  I 
have  confidence  that  in  this  young  man  Cot- 
ton and  Mather  will  be  united  and  flourish 
again."  Is  it  a  wonder  if  his  head  was  turned? 
He  was  very  ambitious  of  remarkable  spiritual 
experiences.  Estimating  that  his  father's 
fasts  were  not  less  than  four  hundred  and  fifty 
in  number,  his  son  spent  two  or  three  days  in 
each  week  fasting.  He  then  tried  to  feel  all 
his  sins  and  to  come  near  to  God  in  holy  con- 
templation. He  endeavored  to  get  constant 
religious  help  from  every  little  experience  in 
life.  When  he  pared  his  nails  he  thought  how 
he  might  lay  aside  all  superfluity  of  naught- 


100  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

iness.  That  a  man  of  Cotton  Mather's  ad- 
vanced views,  so  liberal  that  he  wished  the 
Lord's  table  to  "have  no  rails  about  it"  and 
who  wanted  even  the  Quakers,  whom  he  ap- 
parently disliked,  to  be  treated  with  all  civ- 
ility, should  have  played  the  part  he  did  in  the 
Salem  Witchcraft  seems  incredible.  All  his 
life  he  had  been  passionately  fond  of  the  mar- 
velous. From  early  years  he  had  meditated 
much  upon  the  "angelical  ministry,"  both 
good  and  bad,  and  was  a  firm  believer  in  it. 
"To  please  the  angels"  was  a  daily  motive  with 
him.  The  evil  angels  were,  on  the  other  hand, 
as  much  objects  of  hatred  and  dread.  It  is 
easy  to  believe  that  such  a  man  might  have 
thoroughly  believed  in  witchcraft  and  in 
demoniacal  possession.  To  understand  Cotton 
Mather  we  must  remember  that  the  Puritan 
fathers  believed  New  England  charged  with  a 
divine  mission  to  show  the  world  what  human 
society  might  be  when  governed  by  constajit 
devotion  to  the  revealed  law  of  God.  The 
period  between  the  founding  of  the  colony  of 
Massachusetts  and  the  revocation  of  the 
charter  was  practically  a  time  of  theocracy. 
T^Hien  Increase  Mather  hastened  to  England 
to  obtain  the  renewal  of  the  charter,  this  rule 
of  theocracy  was  in  danger.     Cotton  Mather, 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  101 

still  almost  a  boy,  was  left  virtually  at  the  head 
of  the  conservative  party  in  Boston.  He  be- 
lieved that  the  renewal  of  the  charter  was  a  tri- 
umphant answer  to  prayer  and  demanded 
some  peculiar  act  of  gratitude  to  God.  Look- 
ing about  him  he  saw  evidences  of  what  we 
should  call  hypnotism,  spirituahsm.  In  the 
seventeenth  century  this  was  called  witchcraft 
and  believed  the  work  of  the  devil.  Beyond 
doubt  Cotton  Mather  was  one  of  the  chief 
leaders  in  the  attack  on  witchcraft.  Nobody 
doubted  the  fact ;  the  question  was  how  it  could 
be  legally  proved.  Should  "spectral  evidence*' 
be  considered  proof,  that  is  should  the  testi- 
mony of  bewitched  persons  on  what  they  saw 
and  felt  in  the  paroxysm  of  their  possession  be 
considered  valid  against  the  accused? 

In  his  personal  records,  Mather  declares 
that  he  warned  the  courts  against  the  dangers 
of  "spectral  evidence"  in  cases  of  life  and 
death.  But  when  the  court  decided  to  accept 
it,  he  felt  bound,  believing  witchcraft  to  be  of 
the  devil,  not  to  approve  the  decision.  So 
the  witches  were  hanged,  mostly  on  "spectral 
evidence";  but  when  it  was  rejected  prosecu- 
tions soon  came  to  an  end.  Then  came  a  deep 
revulsion  of  feeling  and  upon  Cotton  Mather 
has  fallen  much  of  the  odium  of  the  sad  busi- 


102  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

ness.     Mather's  character  seems  to  have  lacked 
chiefly   steadiness  and  judgment.    When  in 
1701  Increase  Mather  was  removed  from  the 
presidency  of  Harvard  College,  theocracy  in 
New  England  came  to  an  end  and  the  public 
career  of  the  two  Mathers  was  over.     Cotton 
Mather  lived  on  until    1728,    preaching    and 
writing  numberless  books.    Sibley's  "Harvard 
Graduates"  records  some  four  hundred  titles 
of  his  actual  publications.     He  also  wrote  an 
unpublished  treatise  on  medicine  which  would 
fill  a  folio  and  his  unpublished  "Biblia  Amer- 
icana," a  commentary  on    the    whole    Bible, 
would  fill  two  or  three  folios  more.     His  most 
celebrated  book,  "Magnalia,"  has  been  called 
the  "prose  epic  of  New  England  Puritanism." 
When  it  was  conceived,  the    New    England 
colonies  were  about  seventy  years  old.     Cot- 
ton Mather  wished  to  examine  critically  this 
period  to  prove  that  an  especially  large  num- 
ber of  "the  elect"  had  lived  in  New  England, 
therefore  that  the  pristine  policy  of  New  Eng- 
land had  been  particularly    favored    of    the 
Lord.     Barrett  Wendell  says    that    Cotton 
Mather  "again  and  again  writes  with  a  rhyth- 
mic beauty  which  recalls  the  enthusiastic  spon- 
taneity of  Elizabethan    English."     The    last 
clause    of    a    ponderous    paragraph    about 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         108 

Thomas  Shepard,  first  minister  of  Cambridge, 
ends,  "so  the  character  of  his  daily  conversa- 
tion was  a  trembhng  walk  with  God."  This 
noble  phrase  characterizes  not  only  Thomas 
Shepard,  but  the  better  life  of  all  the  first 
century  of  New  England.  After  the  death 
of  his  father.  Cotton  Mather  was  alone  in  the 
church  only  about  four  months,  when  Joshua 
Gee  was  chosen  colleague;  he  was  a  brilliant, 
scholarly  man  who  founded  a  hbrary  in  the 
Second  Church  for  the  use  of  the  ministers 
and  this  survived  even  the  trying  days  of  the 
Revolution.  Cotton  Mather  had  the  largest 
private  library  on  the  continent.  The  two 
Mathers  also  took  marked  interest  in  the  re- 
form of  church  music,  which  had  fallen  into  a 
sad  way  in  America.  When  the  Puritans 
came  over  they  brought  with  them  the  habit  of 
psalm  singing,  but  they  made  for  themselves  a 
literal  but  almost  unsingable  version  of  the 
Psalms,  and  worse  still  they  adopted  the  cus- 
tom of  "lining"  the  Psalm,  that  is,  of  having 
each  line  read  by  an  officer  of  the  church  be- 
fore it  was  sung,  originally  necessary  on  ac- 
count of  the  fewness  of  books,  but  long  need- 
less. When  we  add  that  tunes  were  handed 
down  by  oral  tradition,  that  each  individual 
could  put  in  extra  notes  and  quavers,  and  that 


104  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

there  was  no  pretense  of  keeping  time,  it  is 
clear  that  a  reform  was  needed. 

In  1718  Cotton  Mather  pubhshed  a  new 
translation  of  the  Psalms;  in  1720  the  first 
singing-book  was  started  and  singing  by  note 
was  introduced  into  the  Boston  churches. 
Samuel  Mather,  son  of  Cotton,  and  fourth  of 
his  name  to  serve  the  Second  Church,  became 
colleague  to  Mr.  Gee,  but  remained  only  a  few 
years,  then,  taking  some  of  his  people  with  him 
he  founded  the  so-called  New  North  on  the 
corner  of  Hanover  and  North  Bennett  Streets. 

The  Second  Church  was  continuously  under 
the  Mather  rule  64  years,  and  adding  the  short 
pastorate  of  Samuel,  73  years.  The  three 
Mathers  are  buried  in  Copp's  Hill  burying- 
ground.  A  fragment  of  Increase  Mather's 
house  may  be  seen  342%  Hanover  Street, 
dating  from  1677. 

Samuel  Checkley  was  second  colleague  to 
Mr.  Gee.  Under  Dr.  John  Lathrop  who 
served  from  1768-1816,  the  church  passed 
through  many  changes.  He  was  a  firm 
patriot  who  said,  "Americans,  rather  than  sub- 
mit to  be  hewers  of  wood  or  drawers  of  water 
for  any  nation  in  the  world,  would  spill  their 
best  blood";  he  did  much  to  strengthen  his 
people  in  their  resistance  to  the  British  and  to 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  105 

gain  for  them  the  reputation  of  "a  nest  of 
traitors."  The  Second  Church  was  among 
the  heaviest  sufferers  from  the  war.  The  earl- 
iest mention  of  their  trials  is  found  in  the  fol- 
lowing brief  notice  copied  from  the  church 
records,  "March  5,  1770,  James  Caldwell,  shot 
by  the  inhumane  soldiers."  When  the  scat- 
tered congregation  returned  to  the  city  after 
its  evacuation  by  the  British,  they  found  their 
meeting-house  in  North  Square  in  ashes.  Many 
churches  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  Brit- 
ish soldiers.  The  Old  South  had  been  turned 
into  a  riding-school;  the  steeple  of  the  West 
Church  had  been  torn  down,  because  it  had 
been  used  as  a  signal  tower  to  give  intelligence 
to  the  provincial  army;  the  Second  Church, 
which  had  stood  for  more  than  a  hundred  years, 
was,  "by  a  number  of  evil-minded  men  of  the 
King's  party"  demolished  and  used  for  fire- 
wood. In  their  distress  members  of  the  con- 
gregation were  invited  to  worship  with  the 
Society  of  the  New  Brick  Church  in  Hanover 
Street.  The  New  Brick  Church  was  an  off- 
shoot through  the  New  North,  of  the  Second 
Church.  In  a  sense  it  was  therefore  a  union  of 
parts.  Dr.  Lathrop  assumed  charge  of  the  re- 
united organization  and  remained  deservedly 
beloved  and  honored  for  almost  exactly  fifty 


106  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

years.  This  New  Brick  Church  was  popularly 
known  as  the  Cockerel  Church,  from  the  cock 
with  golden  plumage  on  its  steeple ;  this  identi- 
cal cock  is  still  in  service  on  the  Shepard  Me- 
morial Church  in  Cambridge,  having  for  nearly 
two  hundred  years  served  as  a  weather-vane.  In 
the  belfry  of  this  church  hung  the  first  bell  cast 
in  Boston,  and  made  by  Paul  Revere  in  1792. 
It  was  under  Dr.  Lathrop  that  the  Second 
Church  gradually  left  Calvinism  for  the  Lib- 
eral view  of  religion.  Henry  Ware,  Jr.,  be- 
came minister  in  1817  and  for  twelve  years 
the  church  experienced  "another  golden  age 
like  that  it  had  enjoyed  under  the  first  of  the 
Mathers."  Mr.  Ware's  name  is  a  synonym 
for  saintliness  wherever  known.  Perhaps  his 
best  known  work  for  the  community  is  his  tem- 
perance work.  In  an  age  when  drinking  was 
a  universal  habit,  it  needed  moral  courage  to 
stand  out  boldly  and  champion  an  unpopular 
cause.  His  "Discourse  on  Temperance"  sold 
largely  in  this  country  and  the  twelfth  thou- 
sand was  prepared  to  meet  the  demands  in 
London.  His  health  failing,  after  a  year  of 
travel  in  Europe,  he  became  HoUis  professor 
in  the  Harvard  Divinity  School,  and  Ralph 
Waldo  Emerson  succeeded  him  as  pastor  of 
the  Second  Church.     Born  in  Boston  in  1803 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  107 

and  descended  from  a  long  line  of  ministers, 
Emerson  was  as  truly  a  New  England  Brah- 
min as  Cotton  Mather  a  century  and  a  half 
before.  His  father  had  been  minister  of  the 
First  Church  of  Boston  founded  by  John 
Cotton,  but  dying  early  left  a  widow  and  sons 
in  poverty.  Having  supported  himself  for 
some  years  by  teaching,  Emerson,  before  he 
was  thirty,  was  regular  minister  of  the  Second 
Church.  Although  his  ministry  did  not  cover 
four  years  in  all,  yet  the  time  was  long  enough 
for  his  people  to  discover  his  clear  discernment 
of  truth,  subtlety  of  reasoning,  and  candor  of 
speech,  which  in  after-life  gave  him  world-wide 
fame.  In  1832  he  preached  the  sermon  which 
brought  his  ministry  to  a  close.  The  subject 
was  the  Lord's  Supper.  After  mature  study 
of  the  subject  he  said  that  he  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  Christ  did  not  intend  to  estab- 
lish it  as  an  institution  for  perpetual  observ- 
ance. Accordingly  he  had  decided  that  it  did 
not  become  him  to  celebrate  it.  "I  am  content 
that  it  should  stand  to  the  end  of  the  world," 
but  "I  am  not  interested  in  it."  This  was  the 
view  expressed  of  the  holiest  mystery  of 
Christianity  by  a  man  who  stood  for  three 
years  in  the  pulpit  of  Cotton  Mather.  "It  is 
doubtful,"  says  Barrett  Wendell,  "whether  the 


108  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

whole  literature  of  heresy  contains  two  phrases 
which  to  any  mind  still  affected  by  traditional 
Christian  faith  must  seem  more  saturated  with 
serene  insolence."  The  Second  Church  could 
not  agree  with  Mr.  Emerson  and  they  parted. 
Even  to-day,  unrestrained  assertion  of  individ- 
ual belief  sometimes  demands  grave  self-sac- 
rifice. In  Emerson's  time  it  demanded  heroic 
spirit.  Dr.  Francis  Peabody  thinks  Emerson 
was  not  fitted  for  the  work  of  a  minister,  and 
that  his  view  of  life  and  duty  would  soon  have 
led  him  to  withdraw.  He  says,  "One  of  the 
chief  services  of  the  Second  Church  to  the 
world  was  in  giving  the  young  minister  an 
easy  escape  from  the  preacher's  calling."  His 
sermons  were  marked  by  few  of  those  great 
qualities  which  he  showed  later.  "His 
transition  to  Concord  was  as  if  a  caged  bird 
had  found  the  liberty  of  the  woods  and  had  at 
once  soared  and  sung." 

In  1833  Chandler  Robbins  was  ordained. 
The  new  brick  church,  built  in  1720,  had  now 
become  old  and  dilapidated.  It  was  decided 
to  rebuild  on  the  same  site.  During  the  re- 
building the  Society  accepted  the  hospitality 
of  the  Old  South,  and  in  recognition  of  this 
friendly  oflSce  gave  a  silver  cup  to  the  Old 
South,  which  appears  on  the  table  every  Com- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  109 

munion  Sunday  in  memory  of  the  kindly  rela- 
tions which  have  existed  between  these  historic 
churches  for  more  than  two  hundred  years. 

Now  came  a  period  of  great  discouragement 
to  the  Second  Church.  The  new  building  was 
completed  in  1845,  but  many  of  the  families  of 
the  church  were  moving  to  another  part  of  the 
town,  and  in  1849  the  building  was  sold  to 
another  religious  society.  The  congregation 
met  for  services  in  Freeman  Place  Chapel,  and 
later,  by  a  happy  union  with  the  Church  of  the 
Saviour  in  Bedford  Street,  became  again 
strong  and  united.  In  1873  another  removal 
seemed  advisable,  and  the  stones,  the  stained 
glass  windows,  the  pulpit  and  organ  of  the 
Bedford  Street  Church  were  removed  to  Cop- 
ley Square.  Dr.  Bobbins  remained  with  the 
Society  until  1874,  when,  after  forty-one  years 
of  faithful  service,  he  tendered  his  resignation. 
Bobert  Laird  Collier  became  minister  in  1876; 
through  his  instrumentality  the  indebtedness 
incurred  in  rebuilding  was  paid.  Edward  Au- 
gustus Horton  became  pastor  in  1880,  Thomas 
Van  Ness  in  1893,  and  later  still  Mr.  Maxwell, 
at  whose  coming  the  church  again  chose  a  new 
home  in  Audubon  Circle.  The  life  of  the 
church  has  been  some  266  years  long.  The 
first  and  second  meeting-houses  were  in  North 


110  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

Square;  the  third  and  fourth  in  Hanover 
Street;  the  fifth  in  Bedford  Street,  and  the 
sixth  in  Copley  Square. 

The  Second  Church,  now,  has  the  reputation 
of  belonging  to  the  high  church  branch  of  Uni- 
tarianism.  It  certainly  believes  in  a  rather 
more  ornate  service  than  some  others.  The 
form  in  the  new  church  in  Aububon  Circle  is 
much  the  same  as  in  the  Copley  Square  church, 
but  with  more  music.  There  is  a  vested  choir 
of  men  and  women  in  the  chancel  and  a  boy 
choir  in  the  organ  loft.  The  two  join  in  pro- 
cessional and  recessional.  A  prayer-book, 
compiled  largely  from  Martineau,  is  used,  but 
extemporaneous  prayer  is  frequent  as  well. 
There  are  two  candles  in  the  chancel,  and  a 
small  brightly  colored  cloth,  changed  for  vari- 
ous occasions,  lies  under  the  Bible  on  the  pul- 
pit. The  style  of  the  church  suggests  the  old 
Colonial,  even  to  the  gilded  cock  on  the 
weather-vane.  And  in  the  most  commodious 
parish  house,  where  tea  is  served  socially  after 
the  vesper  service,  there  is  a  Mather  room. 
The  bust  of  Emerson  looks  down  upon  the 
worshipping  congregation.  This  is  evidently 
a  church  proud  of  its  traditions,  and  justly  so, 
but  not  afraid  of  new  experiences,  new  expres- 
sion.    The  church  has  existed  for  more  than 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         111 

250  years.  During  the  first  half  of  this  time 
there  was  probably  no  greater  man  of  letters 
than  Cotton  Mather;  during  the  second  half 
Emerson  certainly  had  no  peer;  and  both 
served  the  Second  Church. 


112  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

SOUTH    CONGREGATIONAL 
SOCIETY 

[HoLLis  Steeet  Church  ] 

According  to  the  old  records,  the  land  for 
HoUis  Street  Church  was  given  by  Governor 
Belcher  "unto  WilHam  Pain,  Esq.,  on  condi- 
tion that  he  with  a  covenant  number  would 
associate  themselves  together  and  build  a 
house  for  the  worship  of  God."  This  was 
erected  in  1732  where  the  Holhs  Street  The- 
atre now  stands — a  small  wooden  edifice,  con- 
taining forty  pews  and  nine  in  the  gallery. 
Later,  a  fine  bell  was  presented  by  Thomas 
HoUis  of  London.  Dr.  Sewall  of  the  Old 
South  preached  the  first  sermon;  and  in  No- 
vember of  the  same  year  drew  up  the  church 
covenant,  when  they  voted  to  call  the  Rev. 
Mather  Byles,  a  descendant  of  the  distin- 
guished Mather  family  and  a  Harvard  gradu- 
ate, the  salary  to  be  three  pounds,  ten  shillings 
a  week.  He  was  earnest  and  devout,  and  his 
letter  of  acceptance  might  be  taken  as  a  model 
of  its  kind.  Much  has  been  told  of  his  wit 
and  Tory  sympathies;  but  he  refused  to  intro- 
duce politics  into  the  pulpit  for  several  reas- 
ons :   "In  the  first  place,  I  do  not  understand 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         113 

politics;  in  the  second  place,  you  all  do,  every 
mother's  son  of  you;  in  the  third  place,  you 
have  politics  all  the  week — pray  let  one  day  be 
given  to  religion;  and  in  the  fourth  place,  I 
have  something  better  to  preach  about." 
Among  the  early  church  records  of  infant 
baptisms  is  one  revealing  the  father's  tender- 
ness. It  reads:  "January  12,  1734 — My 
Mather."  Dr.  Byles  had  a  long,  quiet  pas- 
torate of  forty-four  years,  until  his  Tory  con- 
victions began  to  cause  trouble  among  the  par- 
ishioners, and  he  was  summoned  to  answer 
charges  against  him  in  August,  1776.  The 
result  was  most  unsatisfactory;  therefore,  a 
week  later  came  his  dismissal. 

In  the  years  following,  he  was  much  associ- 
ated with  Episcopalians,  as  they  generally 
favored  the  King;  but  Dr.  Byles  always  re- 
mained a  staunch  Congregationalist.  During 
his  last  illness  the  rectors  of  Christ  Church  and 
Trinity  paid  him  a  visit.  When  they  inquired 
how  he  felt,  with  a  gleam  of  his  old  playfulness 
he  replied:  "I  feel  that  I  am  going  where  there 
are  no  more  bishops." 

While  the  British  soldiers  were  in  Boston 
they  occupied  the  meeting-house  for  a  time; 
but  after  their  departure  public  worship  was 
resumed,  and  in  1778  Ebenezer  Wight  was 


114  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

called  to  fill  the  vacant  pulpit.  He  retained 
the  office  ten  years,  when  failing  health  obliged 
him  to  resign.  During  this  period  occurred 
the  great  fire  of  1787,  which  destroyed  the 
church,  so  that  for  a  year  the  congregation 
worshipped  with  the  Old  South.  In  1788  Dr. 
Samuel  West  was  installed  in  the  new  HoUis 
Street,  a  man  of  culture  and  experience,  noted 
for  his  liberality  of  thought,  moderation  and 
discretion.  He  was  accustomed  to  preach 
without  notes — a  decided  innovation  in  those 
days.  Twenty-one  years  he  ministered  to  the 
people,  then  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Horace 
Holley,  a  young  man  of  great  promise.  It 
was  the  time  when  Unitarianism  was  coming 
to  the  front;  and  Mr.  Holley,  a  graduate  of 
Yale,  met  the  liberal  clergymen  of  Boston  and 
found  them  differing  from  the  Orthodox,  "not 
only  in  being  hberal,  but  in  having,  with  as 
much  learning,  more  simplicity  of  character, 
more  independence  and  more  kindness."  The 
young  minister  combined  a  most  attractive 
personality  with  a  good  voice  and  style  of  ora- 
tory. In  after  years  he  was  spoken  of  as  the 
"Theodore  Parker  of  his  time,"  owing  to  his 
advanced  thought.  The  congregation  so  in- 
creased that  in  1811  a  more  commodious 
church  was  built.     It  was  the  high  tide  of  the 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         115 

prosperity  of  HoUis  Street,  and  a  large  choir, 
known  as  the  Frankhn  Hall  Singing  Society, 
contributed  to  its  success.  Yet  the  brilliant, 
popular  preacher  found  his  intellectual  tastes 
drawing  him  in  another  direction;  so  in  1818 
he  accepted  the  presidency  of  a  University  in 
Kentucky,  being  succeeded  by  John  Pierpont. 
He,  too,  was  a  Yale  graduate,  a  talented 
man  and  poet  of  some  renown,  but  was  cast  in 
a  different  mould  from  his  predecessor.  His 
thoughts  were  ever  bent  on  moral  reforms, 
social  problems,  and  national  questions.  At 
first  he  was  much  beloved  by  his  people,  but 
gradually  incurred  their  displeasure  by  his 
fearless  attack  on  different  existing  evils.  Be- 
neath Hollis  Street  Church  was  a  storage 
room  for  rum,  and  much  of  the  parish  wealth 
was  acquired  in  that  business.  Finally  Mr. 
Pierpont  was  tried  before  a  council  of  minis- 
ters on  many  charges,  the  chief  being  his  tem- 
perance preaching.  He  was  acquitted,  but  re- 
signed his  office  in  1845.  In  1863  he  volun- 
teered as  Chaplain  of  the  22nd  Massachusetts 
Infantry;  but  the  work  was  too  hard  for  a 
man  over  seventy  years  of  age,  hence  he  gave 
it  up  reluctantly,  after  a  short  trial.  The  in- 
scription on  his  monument  at  Mount  Auburn 
is  a  fitting  tribute  to  the  life  of  this  Christian 


116  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

warrior:  "Poet,  Preacher,  Philosopher,  Phil- 
anthropist, Pierpont." 

After  a  brief  pastorate  of  one  year  by  the 
Rev.  David  Fosdick,  the  pulpit  was  filled  by 
the  man  who  became  the  most  widely  known 
and  dearly  beloved  of  all  the  ministers  of  Hol- 
lis  Street  Church — Thomas  Starr  King,  who 
surely  deserves  more  than  passing  mention. 
His  father,  of  English  descent,  was  a  Univer- 
salist  clergyman  in  New  York  when  Starr 
King  was  born  in  1824.  In  1835  the  family 
moved  to  Charlestown,  Mr.  King  being  called 
to  the  pastorate  of  the  church  in  that  town. 
When  the  boy  was  fitting  for  college,  his 
teacher,  Joshua  Bates,  gave  him  high  praise 
for  his  "sincerity,  purity  of  heart,  honesty  of 
purpose,  and  uniform  gentlemanly  deport- 
ment." He  always  looked  forward  to  entering 
the  ministry,  but,  owing  to  straitened  family 
circumstances,  was  forced  to  give  up  a  college 
education  and  to  work  in  a  dry-goods  store  for 
a  while,  being  there  when  his  father  died.  At 
sixteen  he  was  appointed  assistant  teacher  in 
the  Bunker  Hill  Grammar  School,  continuing 
his  studies,  however,  especially  the  languages 
and  metaphysics.  A  friend  said:  "He  had  a 
natural  affinity  for  knowledge.  Its  acquisition 
was  not  labor,  but  a  delight."    His  father  was 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         117 

succeeded  in  the  Charlestown  church  by  the 
Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin,  who  became  Starr  King's 
lifelong  friend.  Another  dear  friend  was  the 
Rev.  Hosea  Ballou,  2nd,  later  President  of 
Tufts  College.  Following  the  latter 's  wise 
counsel,  the  youth  began  a  systematic  course 
of  study  for  the  ministry.  A  series  of  lectures 
on  Natural  Religion,  given  by  Prof.  Walker 
at  the  Lowell  Institute,  was  a  great  help  to 
him.  A  letter  to  his  aunt  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen reveals  his  theological  tendency  at  that 
period. 

March  11, 1843.  "We  have  a  fine  Unitarian 
preacher  in  Medford,  Rev.  C.  Stetson,  with 
whom  I  am  intimately  acquainted.  I  have  at- 
tended his  church  pretty  often,  which  has  oc- 
casioned mother  some  worriment,  which  you 
may  suppose  is  no  way  lessened  when  I  tell 
her,  at  least  twice  a  week,  that  I  intend  taking 
a  class  in  his  Sabbath  School,  and  studying  for 
the  Unitarian  ministry.  What  should  you  say 
should  I  inform  you  such  is  my  intention? 
Really,  I  beheve  the  Unitarian  party,  as  a 
whole,  understand  themselves  better  and  are 
doing  a  nobler  work  than  the  UniversaKsts. 
Of  course,  you  will  not  construe  these  remarks 
to  imply  any  diminution  of  faith  on  my  part  in 
the  distinctive  tenets  of  the  Universalists.     I 


118  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

simply  believe  that  the  Unitarians,  as  a  body, 
are  doing  more  for  Liberal  Christianity,  with 
all  their  vagueness  upon  that  point,  than  the 
Universalists,  with  all  their  dogmatism." 

A  little  extract  from  Theodore  Parker's 
diary  may  be  of  interest:  "April  13,  1843. 
Saw  Schoolmaster  Thomas  Starr  King.  Capi- 
tal fellow — only  nineteen.  Taught  school 
three  years — supports  his  mother.  Reads 
French,  Spanish,  Latin,  a  Httle  Greek,  and  be- 
gins German.     He  is  a  good  hstener." 

Later  on,  the  young  man  obtained  better 
compensation  by  accepting  a  position  as  ac- 
countant in  the  Navy  Yard,  but  still  looked 
forward  to  the  ministry  as  his  life-work,  press- 
ing onward  to  that  goal.  Although  many 
hours  were  spent  in  philosophy  and  meta- 
physics, yet  he  was  passionately  fond  of  music, 
painting,  and  sculpture,  and  was  keenly  alive 
to  all  that  went  on  around  him.  His  person- 
ality was  magnetic,  his  conversation  brilliant, 
and  his  letters  brimful  of  wit.  Yet  no  one 
more  deeply  enjoyed  communion  with  nature, 
either  among  the  mountains  or  by  the  sea,  a 
fact  made  evident  in  his  book,  published  in 
1849,  entitled  "The  White  Hills— Their 
Legends,  Landscapes  and  Poetry."  He 
preached  occasionally  from  the  time  he  was 


/,y^ 


1^ 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  119 

twenty;  and  in  1846  was  called  to  his  father's 
old  pulpit,  Dr.  Chapin  having  resigned.  Here 
for  two  years  he  spoke  to  an  ever-growing 
congregation,  and  also  entered  the  lecture 
field.  A  discourse  on  Goethe  was  an  epoch  in 
his  life,  because  it  won  for  him  the  attention 
and  approbation  of  the  outside  public. 

As  his  fame  increased,  he  received  calls  to 
other  churches,  among  them  one  to  the  Fourth 
Universalist  of  New  York,  but  declined  them 
all.  Incessant  labor  and  anxieties,  however, 
induced  an  attack  of  nervous  prostration;  yet 
after  a  trip  to  Fayal,  which  proved  beneficial, 
he  accepted  a  call  to  HoUis  Street  Church,  and 
was  installed  December,  1848.  His  first  work 
was  to  build  up  the  parish,  which  had  been 
weakened  by  many  dissensions.  He  gave  new 
life  to  the  church  and  at  the  same  time  became 
more  widely  known  to  the  people  at  large.  It 
was  a  period  when  lecturing  was  quite  popu- 
lar, and  no  one  was  in  greater  demand  than 
Mr.  King.  As  a  brilliant  and  eloquent 
preacher  he  was  admired,  but  as  a  man  he  was 
loved ;  being  always  ready  to  give  his  time  and 
strength  to  help  others,  with  a  heart  full  of 
sympathy  for  the  needy  and  distressed.  Dur- 
ing eleven  years  he  did  good  service  at  Hollis 
Street,  and  then  departed  for  San  Francisco 


120  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

on  a  fifteen  months'  leave  of  absence,  promis- 
ing to  stay  a  year  with  the  Unitarian  church  in 
that  city,  which  was  strugghng  with  a  heavy 
debt,  also  hoping  to  benefit  his  health  by  a 
change  of  climate.  Again  he  put  forth  all  his 
strength;  the  attendance  increased,  so  that 
within  the  year  the  church  was  on  a  firm  basis. 
But  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  California 
was  wavering  in  her  allegiance  to  the  Union; 
therefore  Starr  King,  feeling  he  was  more 
needed  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  sent  his  resigna- 
tion to  Hollis  Street.  The  next  year  he  spent 
all  his  spare  time  in  travelling  throughout  the 
state  fighting  secession.  Even  when  Califor- 
nia's loyalty  was  assured,  he  continued  the 
good  work  by  canvassing  the  whole  North- 
western coast  in  behalf  of  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission. 

Meanwhile  his  San  Francisco  people  needed 
a  new  church  building.  He  headed  the  list 
with  a  subscription  of  $1000,  and  the  money 
came  in  rapidly.  But  his  strength  was  faihng; 
yet  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  beauti- 
ful new  building  dedicated  and  of  preaching  a 
few  Sundays;  then  succumbed  to  a  fatal  dis- 
ease, and  entered  into  rest  March  4th,  1864. 
On  the  day  of  the  funeral  San  Francisco  was 
draped  in  black,  flags  at  half-mast,  and  minute 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  121 

guns  fired  from  the  United  States  forts  by  or- 
der of  President  Lincoln,  in  recognition  of 
Starr  King's  services  to  the  country.  He  gave 
his  hfe  for  the  nation,  dying  at  the  age  of 
thirty-nine.  His  statue  was  erected  in  Golden 
Gate  Park,  and  was  crowned  with  flowers  each 
Memorial  Day.  So  ended  the  life  of  the  sev- 
enth pastor  of  Hollis  Street  Church.  In  a 
sermon  of  after  years,  Mr.  Chaney  made  a 
striking  comparison  when  he  likened  Holley, 
Pierpont  and  King  to  light,  heat  and  electric- 
ity; their  chief  characteristics  being  reason, 
moral  earnestness,  and  the  enthusiasm  of 
humanity. 

After  Starr  King  left  Boston,  only  a  few 
faithful  ones  kept  the  cjiurch  from  going  to 
pieces;  but  eventually  George  L.  Chaney,  a 
young  theological  student  from  Harvard  and 
Meadville,  received  a  unanimous  call.  He  was 
an  earnest  worker,  so  that  under  his  guidance 
Hollis  Street  resumed  and  increased  its  activi- 
ties. It  supported  two  teachers  in  the  South, 
one  for  colored  people  and  one  for  poor  whites, 
and  much  helpful  work  was  carried  on,  be- 
ginning with  a  sewing-school  for  girls,  a  whit- 
ling-school  for  boys,  and  finally  an  industrial 
school  in  1878.  It  originated  Hospital  Sun- 
day collections,  the  Flower  Mission,  and  had 


122  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

Wednesday  afternoon  meetings  for  Bible 
study  for  ten  years.  As  time  passed  by,  and 
many  families  had  moved  away,  Mr.  Chaney 
felt  that  they  could  no  longer  sustain  a  home 
church  in  that  neighborhood.  But  instead  of 
following  the  tide  and  moving  westward,  he 
wanted  to  reconstruct  and  enlarge  the  build- 
ing where  it  was,  change  its  character,  and 
make  it  "of  the  people  and  for  the  people." 
As  these  ideas  were  not  accepted  by  the  major- 
ity, he  reluctantly  decided  to  leave,  and 
preached  his  farewell  sermon  in  September, 
1877.  For  many  years  he  continued  minis- 
terial work  in  the  South.  An  interesting  item 
was  recently  noted  in  the  Christian  Register: 
"At  the  dedication  of  the  new  church  in  At- 
lanta, Georgia,  its  first  pastor,  George  L. 
Chaney,  was  present,  whose  influence  was  so 
potent  in  extending  the  liberal  faith  in  all 
parts  of  the  South  at  a  critical  stage  in  our  de- 
nominational life." 

His  successor  was  Rev.  Henry  Bernard 
Carpenter,  who  was  born  in  Dublin,  but  edu- 
cated in  an  English  college.  He  was  an  in- 
tellectual, talented  man,  with  his  share  of 
Irish  eloquence;  yet  perhaps  he  was  better 
adapted  to  the  lecture  platform  or  the  teach- 
er's profession  than  the  pulpit.     However,  a 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         123 

new  church  was  built  on  Exeter  Street  in 
1884,  and  Mr.  Carpenter  remained  in  office 
till  the  Society  united  with  the  South  Con- 
gregational in  1887. 

We  can  only  refer  briefly  to  this  attractive 
edifice,  the  last  home  of  Holhs  Street  Church, 
but  two  beautiful  memorial  windows  are 
worthy  of  attention,  given  in  memory  of  John 
Pierpont  and  Starr  King.  Also  the  paint- 
ing in  the  chancel  of  a  later  date — a  Nativity, 
by  Miss  Ellen  Hale,  is  an  interesting  study. 

Now  let  us  turn  our  attention  to  the  South 
Congregational  Church.  Its  early  history 
was  summarized  in  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary 
sermon  preached  by  Dr.  Hale,  February  3, 
1878.  That  half  century  saw  the  evolution 
of  Boston  from  a  small,  commercial  town  to 
one  of  the  large  cities  of  the  world.  It  was 
marked  by  a  great  change  in  religious  thought, 
and  was  made  ever  memorable  by  the  years 
of  our  Civil  War.  This  church  owed  its 
origin  partly  to  the  crowded  condition  of 
Hollis  Street,  then  imder  the  ministry  of  Mr. 
Pierpont,  and  a  small  company  of  friends 
from  South  Boston  gave  it  strong  support. 
Furthermore,  at  this  time  there  was  a  club  of 
earnest,  public-spirited  men  seeking  to 
strengthen  and  promote  the  religious  life  of 


124  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

the  city  and  its  organized  charities.  They 
started  "The  Ministry  at  Large"  and  "The 
Industrial  Aid  Society,"  also  loaned  money 
for  church  building.  Through  their  assistance 
and  the  friends  above  mentioned,  a  lot  of  land 
was  purchased  at  the  corner  of  Castle  and 
Washington  Streets  and  a  building  erected, 
which  was  dedicated  January  30th,  1828. 
Many  old  members  of  HoUis  Street  hoped  to 
induce  the  Rev.  Horace  HoUey  to  return  to 
Boston  as  pastor  of  the  new  church.  They 
had  good  reason  to  beheve  he  would  accept 
the  position;  indeed,  he  actually  sailed  from 
New  Orleans  with  that  end  in  view;  but  on 
the  way,  he  died  suddenly  of  yellow  fever. 

At  first,  the  pulpit  was  supplied  from  the 
Harvard  Divinity  School  but  in  the  spring. 
Rev.  Melhsh  Irving  Motte  was  installed.  The 
installation  service  began  at  the  early  hour  of 
nine  in  the  morning.  Dr.  Channing  preached 
the  sermon.  That  sermon  was  printed  and 
sold  at  a  profit  of  $100.,  the  money  being  used 
to  purchase  a  service  of  plate  for  the  com- 
munion table  and  some  books  for  the  Sunday 
school.  Among  the  early  members  was  Rev. 
David  Reed,  a  man  of  pure,  unselfish  char- 
acter, who  founded  the  Christian  Register  in 
1821. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  125 

For  fifteen  years  Mr.  Motte  was  a  faithful 
pastor,  and  during  that  time  the  South  Friend- 
ly Society  was  formed,  which  was  not  only  a 
sewing  club,  but  a  means  of  relief  to  the  sick 
and  aged.  Its  influence  gradually  widened, 
and  that  Society  is  active  to  this  day.  When 
Mr.  Motte  resigned,  Mr.  F.  D.  Huntington 
was  called,  a  man  of  abundant,  youthful  en- 
ergy. While  his  sermons  were  full  of  spir- 
itual life  and  uplift,  yet  he  was  a  good  or- 
ganizer, doing  much  for  the  Benevolent 
Fraternity.  To  quote  Dr.  Hale,  "He  said  one 
day  that  if  the  Fraternity  was  worth  anything, 
it  was  worth  more  than  the  driblet  we  then 
gave  it,  and  proposed  we  should  give  $1000. 
that  year.  We  raised  the  money  and  gave  it. 
The  rich  down-town  churches  had  hardly 
dreamed  of  such  lavishness,  and  here  this  little 
church  of  yesterday — this  South  End  Church, 
built  nobody  knew  when,  and  nobody  knew  by 
whom,  had  out-told  them  all.  It  wakened  all 
the  dead  bones;  and  from  a  revenue  of  a  few 
thousands,  from  that  hour  to  this  the  Benevo- 
lent Fraternity  has  considered  $12,000.  as  its 
legitimate  annual  income!"  (That  statement 
was  made  in  1878.) 

In  1856  Harvard  College  called  Mr.  Hunt- 
ington to  "a  professorship  whose    incumbent 


126  SKETCHES    OF     SOME     HISTORIC 

was  to  be  the  minister  and  spiritual  friend  of 
the  students."  He  accepted,  much  to  the  re- 
gret of  his  parishioners,  and  Edward  Everett 
Hale  became  the  next  pastor.  From  that 
period  the  church  almost  dropped  its  proper 
name,  gradually  becoming  known  as  "Dr. 
Hale's  Church."  Even  to-day  it  is  so  listed 
in  that  paper  which  all  true  Bostonians  read 
Saturday  evenings. 

For  lack  of  time,  we  cannot  even  touch  up- 
on his  early  life,  which  was  so  charmingly  de- 
picted in  "A  New  England  Boyhood,*'  but 
must  pass  on  to  his  ministerial  work.  For  ten 
years  preceding  the  call  to  Boston  he  had  been 
preaching  in  Worcester  at  the  Church  of  the 
Unity.  Besides  his  parish  work,  he  gave  a 
helping  hand  to  all  the  town  philanthropies; 
and  it  was  characteristic  of  the  man  that  when 
asked  to  serve  on  the  school  committee,  he 
frankly  said  he  would  rather  be  on  the  Over- 
seers of  the  Poor.  In  1853  he  married 
Emily  Baldwin  Perkins,  and  four  years  later 
returned  to  his  boyhood's  home,  entering  his 
new  field  of  labor.  We  cannot  do  justice  in 
a  short  space  of  time  to  the  varied  activities 
inaugurated  by  Dr.  Hale;  but  very  dear  to 
his  heart  was  the  "Society  for  Christian  Unity" 
started  Christmas,  1858.     It  was  really  a  be- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         127 

ginning  of  settlement  work  in  Boston,  with  its 
different  classes  for  the  poor  of  the  neighbor- 
hood and  its  industrial  room.  Samuel  Long- 
fellow and  other  eminent  men  assisted  by  giv- 
ing free  lectures.  Then,  too,  his  classes  in 
history  and  literature  for  the  girls  and  young 
women  of  his  parish  will  be  long  remembered 
by  those  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  listen 
to  his  instruction.  In  the  autumn  of  1895  the 
Citizenship  Class  began,  which  immediately 
follows  divine  service  and  is  a  most  important 
factor  of  the  church  work  at  this  present  day. 
It  studies  the  great  social  problems,  aiming  to 
make  young  people  good  citizens.  Also,  we 
must  remember  the  Tolstoi  Club,  which  was 
one  of  the  South  Congregational  activities, 
although  the  meetings  were  held  in  Parker 
Memorial. 

When  the  old  Castle  Street  Church  was  out- 
grown, it  was  deemed  best  to  move  farther 
south,  so  in  1861  they  dedicated  the  new  build- 
ing on  Union  Park  Street,  painting  on  the 
wall  "Glory  to  God  in  the  Highest."  After 
Richmond  fell,  they  added  the  remainder,  "On 
Earth  Peace,  Good  Will  Among  Men." 

During  the  Civil  War,  both  minister  and 
people  did  faithful  service.  Dr.  Hale  said,  "I 
urged  on  the  young  men  of  the  congregation 


128  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

their  duty  to  enlist.  I  said  that  the  moment 
enhsting  from  my  church  stopped,  I  should  go 
myself  and  leave  them  to  do  the  preaching.  I 
was  already  a  member  of  a  drill  corps,  and 
have  the  pleasure  of  saying  that  as  sergeant  I 
gave  their  first  instructions  to  men  who  came 
out  from  the  war  with  high  rank.  The  church 
made  and  sent  clothing  till  the  war  closed.  The 
first  teachers  who  went  to  Port  Royal  to  teach 
blacks  were  my  assistant  and  one  of  our  Sun- 
day-school teachers.  The  flannel  shirts  of  the 
Missouri  company  who  fell  martyrs  at  Shiloh 
were  made  in  our  vestry.  The  editor  of  the 
first  newspaper  pubhshed  in  a  rebel  prison  was 
one  of  our  boys  who  had  been  taken  prisoner 
at  Bull  Run" — and  thus  the  story  continues. 
Once  he  went  to  the  front  with  a  dispatch  for 
General  Butler.  Throughout  this  trying  time 
the  minister  had  most  efficient  helpers  in  Mr. 
Henry  P.  Kidder,  the  well  known  banker, 
who  gave  substantial  assistance  in  carrying  on 
relief  work,  and  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Hooper,  one  of 
the  leading  women  in  Sanitary  Aid. 

In  1863  Dr.  Hale  wrote  for  the  Atlantic 
that  wonderfully  pathetic  and  patriotic  story 
"The  Man  Without  a  Country,"  which  will  be 
read  and  remembered  when  other  of  his  writ- 
ings are  entirely  forgotten.     During  war-time 


CHURCHES    OF    GH EATER    BOSTON         129 

Mr.  Fields  asked  him  for  articles  that  "would 
keep  people  in  good  spirits  about  pubhc  af- 
fairs." In  recognition  of  his  patriotism,  he 
was  made  honorary  member  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  of  Massachusetts. 

The  writer  of  this  sketch  well  remembers  at- 
tending service  at  Union  Park  Street  on  the 
Sunday  following  the  great  Boston  fire,  when 
the  whole  city  was  still  shrouded  in  smoke. 
Robert  Collyer  was  announced  to  preach — a 
fact  which  usually  would  have  filled  the  house 
to  overflowing.  Yet  only  a  mere  handful  of 
people  hstened  to  his  words,  as  he  spoke  with 
a  heart  full  of  emotion,  recalling  his  own  sad 
experience  of  the  precediag  year  when  Chicago 
was  laid  in  ruins. 

It  should  also  be  noted  that  about  this  period 
the  church  began  Sunday  afternoon  vespers, 
with  an  excellent  choir  under  the  leadership  of 
B.  J.  Lang.  Those  were  among  the  first  ves- 
per services  in  the  city. 

There  is  httle  in  print  of  the  last  of  Dr. 
Hale's  fife,  when  he  lived  those  happy,  best 
years  with  his  growing  family  in  the  old  home 
on  Highland  Street,  Boxbury;  but  we  know 
that  through  them  all  this  great-souled  man 
was  ever  ready  to  "lend  a  hand"  and  stood 
shoulder  to  shoulder  with  those  who  were  help- 


130  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

ing  the  world  move  onward  and  upward.  That 
tall  figure  with  the  deep-set  eyes  and  the  broad- 
brimmed  soft  felt  hat  was  f amihar  to  most  Bos- 
tonians.  One  of  his  colleagues  called  him  "the 
most  loved  man  in  America."  A  sadness  that 
came  to  his  old  age  was  the  death  of  his  tal- 
ented son,  Robert  Beverly  Hale,  already  a 
writer  of  much  promise. 

During  his  ministry  he  had  several  as- 
sistants, among  them  Rev.  Edward  Hale,  the 
present  pastor*  of  the  Chestnut  Hill  Church, 
who  served  at  the  South  Congregational  about 
four  years.  While  he  was  there  they  made 
another  change  of  location.  Lack  of  room 
had  long  hindered  their  work,  and  HolUs 
Street  with  a  small  congregation  had  a  large 
attractive  church  which  was  difficult  to  main- 
tain.    So  the  two  united  in  1887. 

Dr.  Hale's  last  colleague  was  the  Rev.  Ed- 
ward Cummings,  and  when  the  former  re- 
signed and  was  made  pastor  emeritus,  Mr. 
Cummings  became  the  acting  pastor  in  1900. 
He  still  occupies  the  pulpit,  doing  good  work. 

Dr.  Hale's  eightieth  birthday  was  celebrated 
by  a  large  gathering  in  Symphony  Hall  with 
appropriate  exercises,  and  many  other  cities 

♦Died  on  March  27,  1918. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         131 

also  did  honor  to  the  occasion.  About  that 
time  he  was  appointed  Chaplain  of  the  Senate 
and  the  last  winters  of  his  hf  e  were  necessarily 
spent  in  Washington. 

He  died  in  June,  1909,  quietly  and  peace- 
fully, lying  on  a  couch  in  the  library  among 
his  books. 

So  he  passed  beyond  our  vision — this 
preacher  and  philanthropist,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  figures  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
He  was  ever  a  little  in  advance  of  his  time,  and 
some  of  his  writings  seem  almost  prophetic. 
He  has  been  compared  to  "a  lamplighter  who 
moves  rapidly  along  kindling  the  torch 
which  will  burn  after  he  has  gone."  In  1885 
he  preached  a  remarkable  sermon  on  the  twen- 
tieth century,  in  which  he  spoke  of  three  most 
urgent  necessities  of  the  period:  "First,  the 
uplift  of  the  school  system  so  that  it  should 
educate  men  and  boys  and  not  be  satisfied  with 
their  instruction";  which  surely  seems  a  hint 
of  the  vocational  training  and  other  improve- 
ments of  to-day.  "Second,  the  systematic  and 
intelligent  transfer  from  the  crowded  regions 
of  the  world  of  men  and  women  who  should 
live  in  regions  not  crowded";  a  social  problem 
of  deep  interest  at  the  present  moment. 
"Third,  the  institution  of  a  Permanent  Tri- 


132  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

bunal  for  the  nations  of  the  world,"  which  is 
most  assuredly  the  crying  need  of  the  time  and 
the  hour.  A  Thanksgiving  Day  sermon  of 
1887  outlined  the  possible  High  Court  of  Na- 
tions eleven  years  before  the  Czar  turned  his 
attention  to  the  subject. 

We  cannot  to-day  mention  his  literary  work, 
but  just  a  word  respecting  his  well  known 
motto  may  be  permitted.  We  all  know  it  by 
heart,  but  do  we  all  appreciate  its  full  signifi- 
cance? Dr.  Hale's  idea  was  simply  Faith, 
Hope,  and  Charity — Faith  looks  up,  Hope 
looks  forward,  Charity  of  the  mind  looks  out 
and  is  not  self-centered,  and  Charity  of  the 
heart  lends  a  hand. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  say  that  the  key-note 
of  his  whole  character  is  struck  in  a  poem  un- 
published till  after  his  death,  entitled: 

THE    UNNAMED    SAINTS 
What  was  his  name?     I  do  not  know  his  name. 
I  only  know  he  heard  God's  voice  and  came; 
Brought  all  he  loved  across  the  sea 
To  live  and  work  for  God — and  me; 
Felled  the  ungracious  oak, 
With  horrid  toil 
Dragged  from  the  soil 
The  thrice-gnarled  roots  and  stubborn  rock; 
With  plenty  piled  the  haggard  mountain-side, 
And,  when  his  work  was  done,  without  memorial  died. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  133 

No  blaring  trumpet  sounded  out  his  fame; 
He  lived,  he  died.     I  do  not  know  his  name. 

No  form  of  bronze  and  no  memorial  stones 

Show  me  the  place  where  lie  his  mouldering  bones; 

Only  a  cheerful  city  stands, 

Builded  by  his  hardened  hands. 

Only  ten  thousand  homes 
Where  every  day 
The  cheerful  play 

Of  love  and  hope  and  courage  comes; 
These  are  his  monuments,  and  these  alone, 
There  is  no  form  of  bronze  and  no  memorial  stone. 

And  I? 
Is  there  some  desert  or  some  boundless  sea 
Where  thou,  great  God  of  angels,  wilt  send  me? 
Some  oak  for  me  to  rend,  some  sod. 
Some  rock  for  me  to  break. 
Some  handful  of  thy  corn  to  take 
And  scatter  far  afield. 
Till  it  in  turn  shall  yield 
Its  hundred-fold 
Of  grains  of  gold 
To  feed  the  happy  children  of  my  God? 
Show  me  the  desert.  Father,  or  the  sea. 
Is  it  thine  enterprise?     Great  God,  send  me! 
And  though  this  body  lie  where  ocean  rolls. 
Father,  count  me  among  all  faithful  souls. 

This  poem  fitly  illustrates  the  watchword  of 
Dr.  Hale's  life,  Service — service  to  man  and  to 
God. 


184  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

FIRST  CHURCH  IN  ROXBURY 

In  the  center  of  Eliot  Square,  Roxbury, 
stands  a  beautiful  old  edifice  said  to  be  the 
finest  type  of  Puritan  meeting-house  left  in 
New  England.  It  is  the  historic  old  First 
Church  of  Roxbury.  But  a  few  minutes  re- 
moved from  the  Babel  of  Dudley  Street  or  the 
busy  lanes  of  modern  three-deckers,  it  sits  in 
its  spacious  shaded  grounds,  a  venerable  relic 
of  those  uncrowded,  unhurried  days  when  land 
was  not  measured  by  the  precious  coveted 
foot,  nor  economy  of  time  by  grave  con- 
sideration. 

The  history  of  this  church  is  coincident  with 
the  history  of  the  colony  for  the  first  century 
and  a  half  of  its  existence.  For  nearly  100 
years  it  was  the  only  church  in  what  is  now 
Roxbury,  Jamaica  Plain,  West  Roxbury  and 
a  part  of  Brookline,  and  for  nearly  200  years 
it  was  the  only  church  within  the  limits  of 
Roxbury  proper. 

Its  distinguished  line  of  ministers  from  the 
Apostle  Eliot  to  the  beloved  Dr.  De- 
Normandie,  would  be  an  honor  and  glory  to 
any  church,  and  its  members  have  included 
many  eminent  men,  some  of  national  fame. 
The  roll  of  its  membership  is  largely  made  up 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  185 

of  names  of  Boston's  most  distinguished  fam- 
ilies, such  as  Eliot,  Curtis,  Seaver,  May, 
Ruggles,  Dudley,  Heath,  and  Warren  of  Rev- 
olutionary fame.  And  it  is  the  pride  of  its 
members  that  on  this  spot  without  a  breakj 
services  of  worship  have  been  maintained  from 
the  founding  of  the  church  to  the  present  day 
— a  period  of  285  years.  As  Dr.  De- 
Normandie  once  said  of  another  institution 
"Merely  to  have  existed  for  nearly  three  cen- 
turies would  merit  our  respect"  without  its 
wealth  of  tradition  and  useful  work  for 
humanity. 

In  1630  the  great  Puritan  Exodus  from 
England  took  place.  Before  that  time  only 
two  Puritan  settlements  existed  in  New  Eng- 
land, one  at  Plymouth  and  one  at  Salem;  but 
in  this  year  under  the  leadership  of  Gov.  John 
Winthrop,  their  Moses,  between  April  and 
December  one  thousand  persons  landed  on 
these  shores,  and  dividing,  made  settlements  at 
Boston,  Watertown,  Dorchester,  and  a  few 
went  on  to  Roxbury.  And  this  little  handful 
of  men  and  women  who  had  left  home  and 
friends  and  comforts  for  conscience'  sake 
climbed  Rocksborough  Hill  and  set  up  their 
little  Bethel  in  the  Wilderness. 

The  larger    numbers    settling    in    Boston, 


136  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

Watertown,  and  Dorchester  were  able  that 
same  year  to  gather  a  church  in  each  of  those 
settlements;  and  if  we  count  the  beginning  of 
a  church  from  the  time  a  group  of  people  as- 
semble to  worship  together,  whether  under 
roof  or  tree,  then  undoubtedly  the  Roxbury 
church  began  no  later  than  the  other  three,  for 
John  Eliot's  records  begin  "William  Pinchon, 
he  came  in  the  first  company"  (the  first  three 
ships  to  arrive)  "he  was  the  first  foundation  of 
the  church  in  Roxbury."  He  then  names  sev- 
eral other  families  of  that  "first  company"  and 
"first  foundation" ;  and  when  we  remember  the 
dangers  and  the  loneliness  they  had  to  face,  we 
cannot  doubt  that  these  devout  Puritans  would 
meet  together  to  ask  for  God's  guidance  and 
protection  as  soon  as  they  had  chosen  their 
place  of  settlement.  But  we  usually  count  the 
foundation  of  a  church  from  the  signing  of  its 
covenant  or  the  ordaining  of  its  first  pastor. 
The  covenant  of  this  church  was  probably  de- 
stroyed with  the  other  records  of  the  first 
dozen  years  in  the  burning  of  John  Johnson's 
house,  but  tradition,  supported  by  early  his- 
torians, says  the  church  was  founded  in  1631, 
and  the  inscription  under  the  clock  in  the  gal- 
lery   of  the   present   church    reads:     "This 


CHURCHES    OP    GREATER    BOSTON         137 

church  was  gathered  in  1631,"  thus  making  it 
the  sixth  church  estabUshed  in  New  England. 

For  a  year  and  more,  when  the  weather  per- 
mitted, the  settlers  followed  the  path  through 
the  forest  to  worship  with  the  church  at  Dor- 
chester "until  such  time  as  God  should  give 
them  ability  to  have  a  church  among  them- 
selves," as  the  records  say;  but  in  the  summer 
of  1632,  in  a  rough  log  building,  but  their  own, 
their  first  minister,  Rev.  Thomas  Weld,  was 
ordained;  and  on  this  same  site  four  other 
churches  have  successively  been  built  as  each 
in  turn  has  been  out-grown  or  out-worn.  Tra- 
dition says  this  first  meeting-house  was  of  logs 
with  a  thatched  roof  and  clay  floor,  and  with 
no  steeple,  bell,  pulpit,  pews  nor  gallery.  Its 
dimensions,  30  feet  long  by  20  feet  wide  and  12 
feet  high,  and  it  could  seat  120  persons. 

Plain  benches  on  either  side  separated  the 
men  from  the  women,  and  one  end  was  re- 
served for  the  boys,  with  a  tithing  man  to  keep 
them  in  order;  and  in  this  little  rough  un- 
heated  building,  called  by  beat  of  drum,  the 
devoted  Puritans  gathered  in  all  seasons  and 
in  all  weathers  to  worship. 

The  church,  as  in  other  colonies,  was  the 
center  of  the  entire  life  of  the  community.  All 
houses  were  at  first  required  to  be  built  within 


138  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

a  half  mile  of  it.  Here  all  public  meetings 
were  held,  and  the  outside  walls  were  some- 
times well  nigh  covered  with  notices  of  every 
kind  of  meeting,  orders  of  the  town,  lists  of 
town  officers,  laws  against  Sabbath  breaking, 
announcement  of  sales,  rules  about  Indians, 
marriage  intentions,  etc.,  and  not  infrequently 
the  heads  of  fresh  slain  wolves  were  nailed  un- 
der the  windows  to  prove  the  bounty  due  the 
successful  hunter. 

As  the  church  was  enlarged  and  rebuilt,  it 
was  sometimes  put  to  strange  uses.  In  times 
of  abundant  harvests  the  farmers  were  allowed 
to  store  their  surplus  grain  in  the  church  loft. 
And  as  there  was  no  fire  in  the  building  it  was 
considered  the  safest  place  to  store  the  gun 
powder  of  the  settlement,  especially  after  the 
burning  of  John  Johnson's  house  when  18  bar- 
rels were  exploded.  Sometimes  it  was  stored 
on  the  beams  of  the  roof  and  later  in  the 
steeple  that  was  added  to  the  building;  so  when 
a  thunder  storm  came  up  during  the  church 
services  the  people  sometimes  took  refuge  in 
the  woods,  fearing  an  explosion. 

Close  behind  the  church  were  the  stocks  and 
pillory  to  strike  terror  to  the  hearts  of  evil 
doers,  for  this  church  like  its  Puritan  sisters 
constituted  the  sole  government  of  the  settle- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         139 

merit.  For  thirty-five  years  non-members  had 
but  sHght  voice  in  civil  affairs;  none  at  first, 
but  the  complaint  was  made  that  when  non- 
church  members  were  tried  for  an  offence  they 
were  tried  and  judged  by  their  adversaries, 
and  the  Puritans  conceded  the  justice  of  this 
reproach,  and  soon  allowed  them  to  serve  up- 
on juries  and  to  vote  on  matters  of  taxation. 

It  was  the  church  that  took  note  of  every 
offence  against  the  peace  and  welfare  of  the 
community,  and  dealt  severe  public  punish- 
ment upon  the  transgressor.  The  atmosphere 
of  every  home  was  known  and  every  short- 
coming noted.  New-comers  were  closely 
scanned  and  if  their  lives  were  unrighteous 
they  were  brought  to  open  confession  and  re- 
pentance or  banished  from  the  colony.  No 
faults  were  overlooked,  yet  all  was  for  the  re- 
generation of  the  offender,  and  we  find  in  one 
place  the  stern  hope  expressed  that  the  "full 
proceedings  of  discipline  will  do  more  good 
than  their  sin  hath  done  hurt,"  and  when  we 
consider  the  amount  of  moral  courage  required 
to  face  a  whole  congregation  and  confess  to  a 
lie,  to  drunkenness,  to  short  measure,  or  to  a 
"passionate  tongue"  we  are  inclined  to  think 
the  hope  was  fulfilled! 

Yet  with  all  their  severity  these  men  sought 


140  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

only  to  interpret  and  execute  God's  will,  and 
that  they  saw  his  hand  in  every  event  is  proved 
by  the  records,  which  reveal  so  much  of  the 
character  as  well  as  the  life  of  the  people.  The 
ministers  were  the  historians  of  all  events 
thought  important  to  be  remembered,  and  their 
records  make  up  most  of  the  history  we  have 
of  those  early  years.  The  Apostle  EHot  rec- 
ords in  1643  "There  happened  this  year  by 
God's  providence  a  very  dreadful  fire  in  Rox- 
bury" — and  after  describing  it  and  telling  how 
the  wind  seemed  sure  to  carry  it  to  other  build- 
ings he  adds  that  "as  a  special  mark  of  God's 
favor  the  wind  suddenly  shifted,"  and  the 
houses  were  saved. 

This  record  at  another  time  interested  me, 
as  we  have  considered  the  caterpillar  pests  a 
thing  of  recent  years.  "This  year  we  had  a 
strange  hand  of  God  upon  us  that  upon  a  sud- 
den innumerable  arrays  of  caterpillars  filled 
the  country  over  all  the  English  plantations. 
They  would  go  across  the  highways  by  1000" 
— and  after  telling  of  their  destruction  of  the 
grain,  etc.,  he  says,  "Much  prayer  was  made 
to  God  about  it,  and  with  fasting  at  divers 
places,  and  the  Lord  heard  us,  and  on  a  sudden 
took  them  all  away  again  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  to  the  wonderment  of  all  men.     It 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         141 

was  of  the  Lord  for  it  was  done  suddenly." 
(Probably  they  did  not  notice  the  sudden  ap- 
pearance of  many  butterflies!) 

And  this  record  may  interest  some  of  us  who 
have  been  recently  afflicted  with  "grippe." 

"This  year  the  Lord  did  lay  upon  us  a  great 
sickness  epidemical  so  that  the  great  part  of 
the  town  were  sick  at  once,  whole  famihes, 
young  and  old.  The  manner  of  sickness  is  a 
deep  cold  with  some  tincture  of  fever  and  much 
malignity,  and  very  dangerous  if  not  well  re- 
garded by  keeping  a  low  diet  and  the  body 
warm  and  sweating.  God's  rods  are  teaching 
us.  Our  epidemical  sickness  of  colds  doth 
rightly  by  divine  hand,  tell  us  what  our  epi- 
demical spiritual  disease  is.  )Lord  help  us  to 
see  it.  This  visitation  of  God  was  exceedingly 
strange,  as  if  He  sent  an  angel  forth,  not  with 
sword  to  kill,  but  with  rod  to  chastise."  But 
he  sorrowfully  adds:  "Yet  for  all  this,  it  is 
the  frequent  complaint  of  many  wise  and  godly 
among  us  that  little  reformation  is  to  be  seen 
of  our  chief  wrath  provoking  sins,  such  as 
pride,  covetousness,  animosities,  personal  ne- 
glect of  gospelizing  the  young,  etc.  Drinking 
houses  are  multiplied,  not  lessened,  and 
Quakers,  openly  tolerated !" 

The  strict  watch  kept  over  the  morals  of 


142  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

trade  is  shown  by  such  records  as  this:  "The 
wife  of  Wilham  Webb,  she  followed  baking, 
and  through  her  covetous  mind  she  made  light 
weight,  and  after  many  admonitions  flatly  de- 
nying that  after  she  had  weighed  her  dough 
she  *nimed'  off  bits  from  each  loaf,  which  yet 
four  witnesses  testified  to  be  common,  if  not  a 
practice.  For  all  which  gross  sins  she  was  ex- 
communicated, but  afterward  was  reconciled 
to  the  church,  and  lived  christianly  and  dyed 
comfortably." 

With  all  this  oversight  of  civil  affairs  con- 
ceived to  be  a  part  of  their  religious  duties 
the  work  of  the  ministers  was  very  ardu- 
ous. Two  services  were  held  on  Sunday  with 
a  short  interval  between.  Each  consisted 
of  first  the  long  prayer,  usually  about  an  hour 
in  length,  then  the  reading  and  expounding  of 
a  portion  of  the  scriptures,  a  hymn  lined  and 
sung  as  previously  described,  then  the  sermon, 
frequently  over  an  hour  long,  and  lastly  the 
short  prayer  and  blessing.  One  week-day  lec- 
ture was  also  held  and  frequent  services  of 
fasting  and  humiliation  or  thanksgiving, 
though  they  did  not  observe  the  regular  fes- 
tival days,  as  Christmas,  or  Easter;  and 
strangely  enough  the  minister  did  not  officiate 
at  weddings,  nor  was  there  any  religious  ser- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  143 

vice  at  the  burial  of  the  dead.  When  we  add  to 
all  these  labors  the  recording  of  all  events  of 
the  settlement,  we  do  not  wonder  at  the  custom 
of  settling  two  ministers  over  each  church,  one 
called  the  minister  and  one  the  teacher,  al- 
though their  offices  do  not  seem  to  have  been 
very  distinct,  and  evidently  were  held  in  equal 
honor. 

Two  months  after  ordaining  Thomas  Weld 
as  their  first  pastor,  the  church  called  John 
Eliot  to  be  their  teacher.  And  now  we 
come  to  the  most  picturesque  and  one  of  the 
most  lovable  and  godly  men  ever  connected 
with  New  England,  John  Eliot,  known  since 
to  all  the  Christian  world  as  the  Apostle  to  the 
Indians.  Edward  Everett  Hale  once  said 
that  he  considered  John  Endicott  and  John 
Eliot  the  two  most  remarkable  men  in  the 
history  of  New  England.  Dean  Stanley, 
when  he  visited  America,  said  there  were  two 
places  he  wished  most  of  all  to  see :  The  spot 
where  the  Pilgrims  landed,  and  the  place 
where  John  Ehot  preached  to  the  Indians. 

Volumes  have  been  written  of  the  life  and 
character  of  this  man  to  whom  the  things  of 
the  spirit  were  more  real  than  the  affairs  of 
every  day  life,  yet  his  only  genius  was  absolute 
devotion  to  duty,  and  his  one  inquiry,  "What 


144  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

is  the  will  of  the  Master?"  Of  his  early  life 
we  know  little,  except  that  he  was  born  in 
England  of  Puritan  parents  and  his  early 
years  were  as  he  says  "seasoned  with  the 
fear  of  God,  the  Word,  and  Prayer."  He  re- 
ceived a  classical  education  at  Jesus  College, 
Cambridge,  and  after  graduation  taught  for  a 
time  in  the  school  of  Thomas  Hooker,  later  the 
first  minister  of  the  church  at  Cambridge;  and 
the  beauty  of  the  rehgious  life  of  this  family 
so  impressed  young  Eliot  that  he  then  and 
there  resolved  to  be  a  Christian  minister  even 
though  the  only  prospects  of  a  Puritan  min- 
ister at  that  time  were  fines,  imprisonments, 
and  persecutions.  He  soon  left  England, 
however,  and  came  to  Massachusetts  in  1631. 
In  the  absence  of  Mr.  Wilson  in  England,  he 
preached  for  a  time  for  the  First  Church  in 
Boston,  and  so  pleased  that  congregation  that 
they  urged  him  to  become  their  regular  pastor ; 
but  he  had  promised  friends  in  England  that 
if  he  were  not  settled  when  they  came  to  New 
England,  he  would  be  their  minister.  These 
friends  had  now  come  and  settled  in  Roxbury, 
and  that  church  now  called  him  to  the  office  of 
teacher,  which  he  accepted,  though  Gov.  Win- 
throp  records  that  "the  First  Church  labored 
all  they  could  both  with  him  and  with  the  Rox- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  145 

bury  congregation,  alleging  their  need  of  him, 
yet  he  could  not  be  diverted  from  accepting 
the  Roxbury  call."  Early  in  the  fall  of  1632, 
he  was  ordained  as  teacher  there,  and  for  near- 
ly sixty  years  served  church  and  colony  as  few 
men  have  ever  had  grace  or  zeal  to  do.  So 
universally  was  he  revered  that  Cotton  Mather 
says:  "There  was  a  traditign  among  us  that 
the  country  could  never  perish  while  Eliot  was 
alive."  He  is  usually  called  the  first  minister 
of  the  church,  for  his  ministry  was  so  long  and 
so  distinguished  and  unique  that  it  quite  over- 
shadowed that  of  his  colleague,  Thomas  Weld, 
who  was  really  the  first  to  be  ordained.  Thomas 
Weld  was  highly  regarded  in  his  day  as 
scholar  and  preacher,  and  especially  did  he 
have  a  keen  nose  for  heresies.  Both  he  and 
Ehot  bore  witness  against  Anne  Hutchinson 
at  her  trial  for  heresy,  where  she  was  convicted 
and  banished  from  the  settlement.  The  mem- 
bers of  their  church  who  supported  her  were 
also  excommunicated  after  vain  endeavors  to 
convince  them  of  their  error. 

After  nine  years  Thomas  Weld  was  sent  on 
some  commission  to  England  and  never  re- 
turned. Samuel  Danforth  was  chosen  as 
Eliot's  second  colleague,  and  for  twenty-four 
years  they  worked  together  in  great  harmony 


146  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

and  affection.  During  their  ministry  the  first 
Sunday  school  in  the  New  World  was  formed 
in  their  church.  Eliot's  insistence  upon  edu- 
cation was  one  of  his  noted  chai^acteristics. 
At  one  time  when  the  ministers  of  all  sur- 
rounding churches  were  gathered  to  discuss 
ways  of  overcoming  disorders,  Eliot  exclaimed 
in  a  most  impassioned  manner:  "O  for  schools 
everywhere  among  us!  That  every  member 
of  this  assembly  may  go  home  and  procure 
a  good  school  in  the  town  where  he  lives! 
Lord  grant  before  we  die  that  we  may  see 
a*  good  school  in  every  plantation  of  this 
country!"  And  Cotton  Mather  writes,  "God 
so  blessed  his  endeavors  that  Roxbury  could 
not  live  quietly  without  a  free  school  in  the 
town";  and  so  was  founded  in  1645  the  noted 
preparatory  school  now  called  the  Roxbury 
Latin  School,  only  two  schools  in  America  pre- 
ceding it — the  Boston  Latin  School  and  Har- 
vard College, — and  from  that  day  till  this  the 
minister  and  two  deacons  of  this  church  have 
been  among  the  trustees  of  that  school.  Eliot 
also  founded  the  Eliot  School  in  Jamaica 
Plain.  John  EHot,  Thomas  Weld  and  Rich- 
ard Mather  prepared  a  new  version  of  the 
Psalms,  called  the  Bay  Psalm  Book.  It  was 
not  regarded  as  a  great  success  and  much  good 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  147 

natured  ridicule  was  aimed  at  it.  The  authors 
themselves  seemed  to  be  aware  of  some  short- 
comings, for  the  preface  makes  the  dignified 
statement  that  they  "have  attempted  conscience 
rather  than  elegance,  and  if  the  verses  seem 
not  so  smooth  as  could  be  wished,  let  it  be  con- 
sidered that  God's  altars  need  no  polishing." 

Mather  says:  "He  who  would  write  of 
Eliot  must  speak  of  his  charity  or  say  noth- 
ing. He  did  not  put  off  his  charity  to  be  put 
in  his  last  will,  but  was  his  own  administrator. 
His  own  hands  were  his  executors,  and  his  own 
eyes  his  overseers."  He  constantly  gave  away 
nearly  the  whole  of  his  salary  to  the  poor,  the 
sick  and  the  Indians,  and  constantly  im- 
portuned his  more  wealthy  parishioners  to 
share  in  his  charities.  The  treasurer  of  the 
church,  knowing  his  propensities,  once  tied  his 
salary  in  a  handkerchief  making  as  many  hard 
knots  as  possible  in  the  ends,  hoping  he  would 
reach  home  with  it  intact.  But  he  stopped  on 
the  way  to  visit  a  poor  family  where  much  sick- 
ness was,  and  after  fumbling  vainly  at  the 
knots  he  gave  the  whole  parcel  to  the  mother 
saying,  "Here  my  dear,  take  it,  I  believe  the 
Lord  designs  it  all  for  you!" 

Mrs.  Eliot,  whom  he  married  soon  after 
coming  to  Massachusetts,  was  a    remarkable 


148  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

woman  who  looked  well  after  the  ways  of  her 
household ;  and  it  was  due  to  her  thrift  and  in- 
dustry that  they  were  able  to  show  such  charity 
and  hospitality,  for  he  knew  so  little  about  the 
practical  affairs  of  the  family  that  he  did  not 
recognize  his  own  cattle  before  his  door,  when 
his  wife,  to  try  him,  asked  whose  they  were. 
One  of  their  descendants  says  he  believes  his 
ancestress  must  have  been  the  first  Christian 
Scientist  and  nourished  her  family  on  mental 
suggestion,  since  her  husband  with  his  charities 
and  generosities  left  her  little  else. 

For  all  that,  they  were  able  to  send  their 
four  sons  to  Harvard  College,  and  though 
the  fare  of  that  home  was  extremely  simple  and 
frugal,  they  were  rarely  without  some  guest, 
frequently  some  poor  or  sick  or  aged  person 
without  home  of  his  own;  and  one  act  of  hos- 
pitality seems  to  me  most  noteworthy.  Feel- 
ing was  very  bitter,  as  you  know,  between  the 
Jesuits  and  the  Puritans;  each  thought  the 
other's  doctrine  pernicious,  yet  a  Jesuit  priest 
passing  through  New  England  was  invited  to 
Eliot's  house  and  even  asked  to  make  that  his 
headquarters  for  the  winter!  Could  Puritan 
hospitality  go  farther? 

Eliot  was  a  loving  father,  yet  very  strict 
in  the  education  of  his  children,  according  to 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         149 

Cotton  Mather,  being  "more  careful  to  mend 
an  error  in  their  hearts  and  hves  than  he  would 
have  been  any  blemish  of  their  bodies."  Of 
their  six  children  only  two  survived  the  par- 
ents, three  sons  dying  in  young  manhood,  one 
of  whom  had  been  his  assistant  for  some  years. 
Of  this  grief  he  makes  this  touching  entry  in 
his  diary:  "I  had  hoped  that  my  children 
would  serve  God  on  earth,  but  if  it  is  His  wish 
that  they  serve  Him  in  Heaven,  His  will  be 
done." 

But  though  the  good  works  of  this  good  man 
are  legion,  it  was  his  wonderful  missionary 
work  among  the  Indians  that  won  him  fame 
and  honor  throughout  the  Christian  world.  As 
he  saw  and  mingled  with  them  in  forest  and 
settlement  the  thought  came  to  him  that  these 
poor  red  men  were  children  of  God  no  less 
than  the  English  and  should  be  brought  to 
know  him.  (And  this  when  the  English  in 
general  thought  the  only  good  Indian  a  dead 
one  I)  They  were  far  too  indolent  to  learn 
the  English  language  to  an  extent  to  make  his 
religious  teaching  possible,  so  he  decided  to 
teach  them  in  their  own  tongue.  He  believed, 
as  many  then  did,  that  the  Indians  belonged 
to  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel  and  that  he  should 
find  traces  of  Hebrew  in  their  language. 


160  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

In  his  own  words :  "God  first  put  into  my 
heart  a  compassion  for  their  poor  souls  and 
a  desire  to  teach  them  to  know  Christ  and 
bring  them  into  His  kingdom.  Then  by  God's 
providence  I  found  a  pregnant  witted  young 
Indian  who  had  been  a  servant  in  an  Enghsh 
family  and  who  pretty  well  understood  our 
language,  better  than  he  could  speak  it,  and 
well  understood  his  own  language,  and  hath  a 
clear  pronunciation.  Him  I  made  my  inter- 
preter. By  his  help  I  translated  the  Com- 
mandments; the  Lord's  prayer  and  many 
texts  of  scripture,  also  I  compiled  exhortations 
and  prayers.  I  diligently  marked  the  differ- 
ence between  their  grammar  and  ours,  and 
when  I  found  the  way  of  them  I  would  pursue 
the  word,  noun  or  verb,  through  all  the  varia- 
tions I  could  think  of.  And  thus  I  came  to 
it.  We  must  not  sit  still  and  wait  for  mir- 
acles. Up  and  be  doing  and  the  Lord  will  be 
with  thee.  Prayer  and  pains  through  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ  will  do  anything."  He  finally 
decided  to  translate  the  whole  Bible  into  the 
Indian  language.  Think  what  an  under- 
taking it  would  be  to  translate  the  whole  Bible 
into  French  or  German,  with  all  our  knowl- 
edge of  those  languages,  and  the  assistance 
that  would  be  available.     But  to    acquire    a 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         161 

barbarous  dialect,  through  conversation,  to  de- 
velop its  principles  of  etymology,  to  make  it 
express  more  noble  thoughts  than  the  race 
ordinarily  experienced,  then  to  transcribe  into 
that  speech  both  Old  and  New  Testaments, 
and  then  to  supervise  the  printing,  when  only 
one  of  the  three  printers  understood  a  word 
of  the  copy!  This  was  the  task  this  man  set 
himself  to  do,  unaided  in  the  wilderness,  when 
he  was  forty-two  years  old,  and  it  took  nine- 
teen years  of  his  life.  It  has  been  called  the 
most  wonderful  achievement  in  the  history  of 
literature.  Besides  two  editions  of  the  Bible 
he  also  published  eight  other  books  in  the 
Indian  language. 

But  while  performing  this  labor  of  love, 
mostly  at  night  by  the  light  of  tallow  candles, 
his  endeavors  to  civilize  the  Indians  were  never 
ceasing.  For  years  he  held  an  evening  school 
for  the  Indians  in  his  own  house,  which  stood 
where  the  People's  Band  now  stands,  and  by 
day  he  worked  among  them,  teaching  them  the 
work  and  ways  of  civilized  men — accomplish- 
ing wonderful  results  at  his  model  town,  Natick 
— and  on  his  missionary  journeys,  taken  every 
other  week,  he  travelled  throughout  the  forests 
of  Massachusetts  and  southern  New  Hamp- 
shire, teaching  and  preaching,  under  tree  or  in 


162  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

wigwam,  nursing  the  sick,  ministering  to  both 
soul  and  body.  No  hardship  of  hunger,  cold 
or  weariness  could  daunt  him  nor  threat  from 
hostile  chief  turn  him  back.  In  a  letter  he 
writes:  "I  have  not  been  dry  from  the  third 
day  to  the  sixth  but  wring  out  my  stockings 
at  night  and  put  them  on  again  and  so  con- 
tinue. But  God  steps  in  and  helpsT  Four 
years  after  beginning  the  study  of  the  lang- 
uage, he  first  preached  to  the  Indians  in  their 
own  tongue  in  Chief  Wabon's  wigwam  in 
Newton.  A  tablet  now  marks  the  spot. 
After  the  short  sermon  which  they  entirely 
understood  they  crowded  around  to  ask  him 
questions.  "How  did  the  English  know  about 
God,  and  the  Indians  not,  if  he  were  the  father 
of  them  all?  Could  Jesus  understand  prayers 
in  the  Indian  language?  How  came  the  world 
to  be  full  of  people  if  all  were  once  drowned? 
How  could  there  be  an  image  of  God  if  it  were 
forbidden  in  the  commandments?  May  a 
good  man  sin  sometimes,  or  may  he  be  a  good 
man  and  yet  sin  sometimes?"  The  Apostle's 
answers  are  not  recorded. 

Of  the  extent  of  his  labors  in  teaching  the 
Indians  so  that  one  third  of  all  the  tribes  in 
New  England  were  his  pupils;  of  their  ven- 
eration of  him;  of  his  sorrow  when  the  Eng- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         153 

lish  distrusted  and  persecuted  his  "praying 
Indians"  at  the  time  of  King  Philip's  war, 
there  is  no  time  to  tell  here,  but  his  love  and 
labor  for  them  never  ceased  while  his  life  last- 
ed. On  the  day  of  his  death  he  was  found 
teaching  an  Indian  child  the  alphabet.  But  in 
1690  this  wonderful  old  man  went  to  his  rest 
saying  "all  his  labors  had  been  but  weak  and 
smalll" 

Samuel  Danforth  had  made  possible  the 
Apostle  Eliot's  work  with  the  Indians,  by  re- 
lieving him  as  much  as  possible  from  the  work 
of  the  church,  and  this  had  so  increased  in 
numbers  that  it  was  found  necessary  to  build 
a  much  larger  building,  which  was  completed 
in  1674  and  served  its  purpose  until  1741.  But 
Mr.  Danforth  was  never  to  preach  in  the  new 
building.  He  died  only  four  days  after  the 
church  was  ready  for  use.  He  had  been  a 
most  eloquent  and  scholarly  preacher,  and  the 
love  of  his  people  is  well  expressed  in  this  bit 
of  eulogy  in  verse : 

"Mighty  in  scripture,  searching  out  the  sense, 

All  the  hard  things  of  it  unfolding  thence, 

He  lived  each  truth,  his   faith,  love,  tenderness. 

None  can  to  the  life  as  did  his  life  express. 

Our  minds  with  gospel  his  rich  lecture  fed, 

Luke  and  his  life  at  once  are  finished. 

Our  new-built  church  now  suffers,  too,  by  this. 

Larger  its  windows,  but  its  lights  are  less.'* 


164  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

After  the  death  of  Samuel  Danforth  the 
Apostle  Eliot  was  the  only  minister  of  the 
church  for  fourteen  years;  but  in  1688,  two 
years  before  his  death,  to  his  great  joy  Rev. 
Nehemiah  Walter  became  his  third  colleague 
and  succeeded  him  in  the  ministry.  The  aged 
Apostle  himself  ordained  him  as  pastor  and 
teacher,  thus  uniting  the  offices  which  were 
never  afterwards  separated.  His  ministry 
was  even  longer  than  Eliot's,  being  over  sixty 
years,  the  continuation  of  the  ministry  of  these 
men  extending  over  120  years.  Mr.  Walter 
was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  scholars  and 
preachers  of  New  England,  and  Dr.  Chauncy 
thought  him  one  of  the  most  brilliant  men  in 
America. 

Dr.  DeNormandie  says:  "There  is  prob- 
ably no  church  in  New  England  where  the 
standard  of  scholarly  and  pulpit  gifts  has  been 
so  high,  and  none  which  has  had  such  a  pro- 
portion of  acknowledged  leaders  in  the  com- 
munity." 

Probably  no  church  either  has  had  the  min- 
istry of  so  few  men  extend  over  so  long  a 
period.  In  the  285  years  but  twelve  men  have 
been  ministers  of  this  church'  and  the  contin- 
uous ministry  of  eight  men  covers  the  entire 
history  of  the  church. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  165 

During  Walter's  long  ministry  the  popula- 
tion of  the  town  had  so  increased  that  it  be- 
came necessary  to  have  a  church  in  the  ex- 
treme western  portion  of  the  town.  The  First 
Church  was  won  to  reluctant  consent  and  in 
1712  was  formed  the  Second  Society  of  Rox- 
bury,  which  a  century  and  a  half  later  became 
famous  as  the  Theodore  Parker  Church, — and 
later  in  1769  from  this  society  and  the  parent 
church  was  formed  The  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Jamaica  Plain,  the  Middle  Society. 

Thomas  Walter,  the  gifted  son  of  Rev. 
Nehemiah,  was  ordained  minister  of  the  First 
Church  in  1718  when  he  was  but  twenty-two 
years  old  and  assisted  his  father  ably  for  six 
years,  when  his  brilliant  career  was  cut  off  by 
his  death,  of  consumption.  Of  the  genius  and 
bright  promise  of  this  young  man  many  emi- 
nent men  of  that  day  have  written.  Cotton 
Mather  and  Dr.  Chauncy  speak  in  his  praise  in 
the  most  superlative  terms,  and  one  of  his  ser- 
mons has  been  pronounced  "the  most  beautiful 
of  all  those  handed  down  to  us  from  the 
fathers."  But  in  the  First  Church  he  is  es- 
pecially remembered  for  his  improvement  of 
the  singing  of  the  congregation  by  introducing 
to  them  the  art  of  singing  by  note.  It  is  said 
he  was  "grieved  beyond  measure  and  annoyed 


166  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

as  well  by  the  performances  in  the  sanctuary" 
which  he  said  "sounded  hke  500  different  tunes 
roared  out  at  once  with  so  little  attention  paid 
to  time  that  often  they  were  one  or  two  words 
apart  producing  noises  so  hideous  as  to  be  be- 
yond expression."  He  therefore  pubhshed  a 
book  entitled  "The  Grounds  and  Rules  of 
Singing  Explained  or  an  Introduction  to  the 
Art  of  Singing  by  Note.  Fitted  to  the  Mean- 
est Capacity."  And  no  doubt  it  was  warmly 
welcomed. 

The  second  church  building  had  undergone 
many  changes  to  fit  it  to  the  needs  of  the  grow- 
ing congregation.  Galleries  had  been  added 
with  rear  seats  elevated.  Pews  too  had  taken 
the  place  of  seats  "except  where  the  boys  do 
sit."  The  boys  seems  to  have  been  a  prob- 
lem from  the  first,  for  the  records  bear  sev- 
eral complaints  of  them.  When  the  galleries 
were  built  they  were  seated  in  one  end,  but 
soon  those  sitting  below  complained  they  were 
unable  to  worship  for  the  disturbance  the  boys 
did  make,  and  in  1730  the  vote  is  recorded  that 
"boys  under  fourteen  years  of  age  shall  be  re- 
strained from  going  into  the  galleries  in  time 
of  worship."  When  the  first  square  pews  were 
built  the  seats  folded  up  when  the  congrega- 
tion rose  to  pray,  and  complaint  is  made  that 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         157 

the  boys  slammed  down  the  seats  at  the  Amen. 
It  would  seem  that  the  Puritan  laddies  were 
not  so  very  different  from  the  present  day 
variety;  and  probably  confirmed  their  elders 
in  the  belief  in  original  sin. 

In  1741  a  much  larger  church  was  erected, 
but  was  enjoyed  only  a  short  time,  for  three 
years  later  it  was  burned.  The  fire  was 
thought  to  have  been  caused  by  an  overheated 
foot  stove,  forgotten  and  left  in  a  pew,  and 
some  thought  it  a  judgment  of  God  upon  the 
love  of  ease  and  luxury  that  was  creeping  into 
the  church;  for  until  the  bringing  in  of  foot 
stoves  the  church  had  always  been  entirely 
without  heat,  though  some  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  taking  their  dogs  to  church  and  resting 
their  feet  upon  them  through  the  long  services. 
It  was  not  until  1820  in  the  present  church 
that  stoves  were  first  used,  though  attempts  to 
introduce  them  had  been  made  several  years 
before  that  time.  The  congregation  wor- 
shipped in  the  brick  schoolhouse,  close  by,  until 
a  new  and  fourth  building  on  the  same  plan 
and  site  of  the  preceding  one  was  ready  for 
occupancy  in  1746.  This  was  the  church  that 
was  to  witness  and  also  bear  its  part  in  the 
stormy  days  of  the  Revolution.  The  new 
church  was  adorned  by  a  fine  porch,  a  spire 


158  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

for  the  belfry,  a  bell  cast  by  Paul  Revere,  and 
a  handsome  clock,  and  two  front  pews  were 
set  apart  as  free  pews  for  the  poor  of  the  par- 
ish, or  sometimes  for  the  use  of  guests.  Rev. 
Nehemiah  Walter  died  in  1750  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Oliver  Peabody.  He  lived  only 
eighteen  months  but  built  a  parsonage  which 
was  used  by  succeeding  ministers  for  nearly  a 
century  and  is  still  standing,  known  as  the 
Charles  K.  Dillaway  house. 

Amos  Adams,  the  patriot  preacher,  came 
next.  He  was  an  eloquent  preacher  and  well 
loved  by  his  people  for  his  sterling  virtues, 
though  they  sometimes  found  his  plain  speak- 
ing a  little  trying,  for  he  told  them  of  their 
sins  with  the  utmost  frankness  and  without 
fear  or  favor.  He  was  scribe  of  the  conven- 
tion of  ministers  which  met  in  1775  and  recom- 
mended the  people  to  take  up  arms.  No  pub- 
lic meetings  could  be  held  in  the  church  dur- 
ing most  of  the  years  1775  and  1776,  for  dur- 
ing the  siege  of  Boston  it  was  a  constant  tar- 
get for  the  British  cannon  and  the  steeple  was 
shattered  by  cannon  balls  and  the  church 
pierced  in  several  places  elsewhere. 

The  pews  and  bell  and  communion  plate 
were  removed  for  safety  and  the  building  used 
as  a  signal  station  by  the  Continental  troops. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         169 

The  lawn  in  front  of  the  church  was  used  as  a 
camping  ground  for  our  forces,  and  here 
Washington  reviewed  the  troops,  while  the  par- 
sonage was  used  as  headquarters  for  General 
Thomas,  who  from  its  upper  windows  watched 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Most  of  the  con- 
gregation fled  to  various  parts  of  the  country 
and  Pastor  Adams  removed  his  family  to  some 
distance,  but  he  stayed  on,  gathering  the  little 
remnant  of  his  flock  together  every  Sunday  in 
front  of  the  church  and  preaching  to  them  and 
to  the  soldiers  till  his  death  in  the  fall  of  1775, 
which  was  the  result  of  exposure  in  preaching 
in  the  open  air.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  chaplain  of  the  9th  Continental  Regiment 
of  900  men. 

The  Boston  Gazette  in  giving  notice  of  his 
death  said:  "His  people  refuse  to  be  com- 
forted." 

Throughout  the  rest  of  the  troubled  Revolu- 
tionary days  the  chin-ch  had  no  settled  pastor 
until  Rev.  Elipalet  Porter  was  called  to  be 
their  minister  in  1782,  which  office  he  filled  for 
57  years.  He  was  a  thorough  scholar  and  a 
quiet  but  impressive  preacher;  never  bigoted 
nor  dogmatic,  and  avoiding  controversy  when- 
ever possible.  But  as  pastor  and  citizen  he 
was  pre-eminent,  and  widely  loved  and  hon- 


160  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

ored.  He  held  many  offices  of  public  trust  and 
was  an  Overseer  of  Harvard  College.  It  was 
during  his  ministry  that  the  great  change  in 
Theology  swept  over  New  England,  and  a  fol- 
lower of  Channing,  he  quietly  led  his  church 
into  the  Liberal  Faith,  it  is  said  "with  hardly  a 
dissenting  voice."  A  sermon  he  preached  in 
1810  before  the  Annual  Convention  of  Congre- 
gational Ministers  in  Boston  roused  much  ex- 
citement by  its  bold  defence  of  the  principles 
of  Liberalism  and  seemed  to  crystalhze  the  new 
beliefs  that  had  been  growing  for  some  years 
in  his  church,  and  from  that  time  the  church 
was  considered  Unitarian. 

In  that  sermon  he  names  the  disputed 
articles  of  faith,  the  doctrines  of  total 
depravity,  original  sin,  of  the  Trinity  in  Unity, 
the  absolute  Diety  of  Christ,  eternal  punish- 
ment of  the  wicked,  etc.,  and  said:  "I  cannot 
place  my  finger  on  any  one  article  in  the  list 
of  doctrines  mentioned,  the  behef  or  rejection 
of  which  I  consider  as  essential  to  Christian 
faith  or  character.  I  believe  that  an  innum- 
erable company  of  Christians  who  never  heard 
of  these  articles,  or  who  are  divided  in  their 
opinions  respecting  them,  have  fallen  asleep  in 
Jesus,  and  innumerable  of  the  same  description 
are  following  after." 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         161 

In  1830,  three  years  before  the  death  of  Dr. 
Porter,  Dr.  George  Putnam  was  ordained  as- 
sociate pastor. 

But  in  the  meantime  it  had  been  found  de- 
sirable to  build  a  new  church  building,  and  in 
1804  the  present  and  fifth  building  was  com- 
pleted. .^ 

Tradition  says  that  Bulfinch,  the  architect 
of  the  State  House,  had  something  to  do  with 
the  plans,  but  whether  or  not  that  is  true,  the 
result  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  meeting- 
houses in  New  England.  It  has  a  seating 
capacity  of  about  1000.  Simplicity  is  its  most 
striking  feature.  It  has  no  stained  glass  win- 
dows, but  memorial  tablets  to  several  of  its 
ministers  and  noted  laymen  have  been  placed 
upon  the  walls,  and  the  Apostle  Eliot's  chair 
stands  beneath  the  pulpit.  I  can  do  no  better 
than  to  quote  Dr.  DeNormandie's  description 
of  it:  "Its  fine  proportions  deceive  one  as  to 
its  great  size,  while  its  large,  roomy,  and  com- 
fortable pews,  its  gracefully  hung  and  spacious 
galleries,  its  perfect  acoustic  properties,  and 
the  simplicity  of  its  whole  finish,  together  with 
the  associations  of  over  a  hundred  years,  make 
every  one  feel  at  once  that  this  is  a  church  of 
the  living  God,  fragrant  with  the  sentiment  of 
worship  for  100  years,  and  its  massive  timbers 


162  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

give  promise  of  fulfilling  the  purposes  of  wor- 
ship for  another  century."  Such  slight  re- 
modelhng  as  has  been  found  necessary  has  been 
done  with  such  regard  for  its  beauty  of  pro- 
portions that  the  perfect  harmony  of  the  whole 
has  not  been  disturbed. 

Yet  there  was  some  objection  at  the  time 
to  the  building  of  so  elegant  a  church,  as  this 
entry  from  a  private  diary  shows:  "April  18, 
1803.  This  day  the  meeting-house  of  the  First 
Parish  of  this  town  was  begun  to  be  torn  down. 
It  was  not  half  worn  out  and  might  have  been 
repaired  with  a  saving  of  $10,000  to  the  par- 
ish. Whether  every  generation  grows  wiser, 
it  is  evident  they  grow  more  fashionable  and 
extravagant."  But  when  the  pews  in  the  new 
church  were  sold,  a  surplus  of  $8,000  was 
divided  among  the  tax  payers  of  the  parish, 
and  they  have  never  been  in  debt  since,  for  the 
parish  has  always  been  a  wealthy  one.  Even 
in  the  days  of  the  Apostle  EHot  we  find  the 
statement  "The  people  of  Roxbury  are  all  very 
rich!"  and  through  all  its  history  the  church 
has  been  noted  for  its  generous  contributions 
to  worthy  causes. 

Dr.  Putnam's  ministry  of  48  years  was  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  of  all.  It  was  said 
he  was  unsurpassed  and  hardly  equalled  for 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         163 

impressive  eloquence  by  any  clergyman  in  New 
England.  Many  living  to-day  bear  testimony 
to  the  noble  life  and  teaching  of  this  man. 

John  Graham  Brooks  was  his  colleague  and 
successor  from  1875  to  1882,  when  he  resigned 
to  study  sociology  and  later  became  the  noted 
lecturer  on  economic  subjects. 

In  1883  James  DeNormandie,  the  present 
pastor,  was  ordained  minister  of  that  church, 
James  Freeman  Clarke  preaching  the  ordina- 
tion sermon,  and  Edward  Everett  Hale  giving 
the  address  to  people  and  pastor.  Dr.  De- 
Normandie is  too  well  known  and  loved  among 
Bostonians  to  need  more  than  brief  mention 
here.  He  was  the  dear  friend  of  Dr.  Ames 
and  Edward  Everett  Hale.  (Dr.  Hale  always 
occupied  a  pew  there  when  he  attended 
church.)  As  pastor,  preacher,  scholar,  author, 
and  historian  he  has  added  lustre  to  the  dis- 
tinguished line  of  ministers  of  that  church  and 
no  predecessor  has  ever  been  better  loved  by 
his  people. 

The  surroundings  of  this  spot  have  greatly 
changed  during  the  last  generation,  and  a 
large  proportion  of  the  congregation  have  re- 
moved to  towns  too  distant  to  permit  of  more 
than  infrequent  attendance  at  church  services, 
yet  their  allegiance  to  this  venerated  church 


164  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

never  wavers  and  they  are  always  responsive 
to  every  need  and  interest.  What  its  work  in 
the  future  will  be  is  perhaps  not  yet  de- 
termined, yet  no  surrounding  population  ever 
had  more  need  of  its  ideals  and  its  ministry 
than  those  that  now  so  closely  press  around  its 
borders,  and  that  it  will  find  ways  of  service 
to  meet  the  new  conditions  they  who  know  its 
history  and  ideals  cannot  doubt. 


CHURCHES  OF  GREATER  BOSTON    165 

FIRST  PARISH,  WEST  ROXBURY 

[Theodore  Parker^s  Church] 

On  the  corner  of  Centre  and  Church  Streets, 
West  Roxbury,  there  stood  until  a  few  years 
ago  a  deserted  meeting-house.  It  was  hal- 
lowed ground  and  a  landmark  in  the  olden 
times  to  travellers  passing  in  the  coach  from 
Providence  and  Dedham.  This  was  the  sec- 
ond meeting-house  built  by  the  First  Parish  of 
West  Roxbury.  The  history  of  this  church  is 
quite  as  distinguished  as  those  we  have  heard 
of  before  this  winter,  and  the  men  who  gath- 
ered here  took  a  prominent  part  in  laying  the 
nation's  foundations. 

In  1776  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  read  from  the  pulpit,  and  the  people  who 
heard  it  helped  to  make  it  a  reality.  For  some 
months  before,  the  rumbling  of  the  guns  on 
Roxbury  Heights  that  guarded  the  "Neck" 
was  heard  from  the  steps  of  this  house.  Back 
of  Weld  Hill,  nearby,  was  the  spot  selected 
by  Washington  for  a  rallying  place  in  case  of 
defeat;  it  commanded  the  road  to  Dedham  and 
the  supplies  for  the  Continental  Army  about 
Boston. 

Later,  from  1836  to  1846,  other  declarations 
of  independence,  those  of  human  reason  and 


166  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

conscience,  were  preached  here  by  a  young 
man  named  Theodore  Parker.  As  long  as  the 
chm*ch  was  used,  strangers  came  from  long 
distances  to  sit  in  quiet  meditation  and  cherish 
the  memories  connected  with  Mr.  Parker's 
ministry.  The  First  Parish  was  born  in  free- 
dom and  nurtured  in  its  love.  The  first  con- 
sideration of  the  Puritans  after  landing  was  to 
gather  a  meeting  and  build  a  church,  and  to 
the  honor  of  Roxbury,  almost  the  next  was  to 
build  the  first  pubHc  school,  afterwards  the 
Boys'  Latin  School.  After  gathering  for  a 
time  with  a  meeting  established  in  Dorchester, 
the  First  Church  of  Roxbury  was  built  in  1632 
with  Thomas  Weld  minister.  This  is  the 
Mother  Church  from  which  the  "Second 
Church  of  Christ"  in  Roxbury,  afterwards  the 
"First  Parish,"  West  Roxbury,  sprang. 

People  settled  fast,  and  far  and  wide  spread 
the  bounds  of  Rocksborough,  westerly,  to 
Jamaica  End  or  Spring  Street,  along  the  Ded- 
ham  highway.  The  roads  were  bad,  some- 
times in  winter  almost  impassable,  and  dis- 
tances so  great  that  it  was  well-nigh  impos- 
sible for  settlers  to  get  to  meeting,  and  yet  it 
was  the  bread  of  life  to  these  simple  God- 
loving  people,  and  the  pillory  and  stocks  were 
in  evidence  to  keep  them  to  their  duty.     At  a 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         167 

time  when  men  frequently  lost  their  lives  in 
going  from  Boston  to  Roxbury  by  the  "Neck" 
(Indians  lurked  behind  the  trees),  this  was 
very  serious;  still  to  the  sound  of  drum  and 
shell  they  gathered,  though  many  people  lived 
too  far  off  to  hear  this  call. 

From  early  times  the  people  of  Roxbury 
were  noted  for  industry  and  thrift.  It  is  said 
that  "In  the  room  of  dismal  swamps  they  have 
goodly  fruit  trees,  beautiful  fields  and  gardens, 
a  herd  of  cows,  oxen  and  other  young  cattle  of 
that  kind,  about  350."  It  is  written  in  a  book 
published  in  London  in  1639  that  "Boston  is  a 
town  of  very  pleasant  situation,  two  miles 
northeast  of  Rocksborough,"  and  of  Rocks- 
borough  it  says:  "It  is  well  wooded,  a  fine  and 
handsome  country  town,  the  inhabitants  all  be- 
ing very  rich." 

At  last,  in  1706,  Joseph  Weld  and  forty- 
four  others  in  West  Roxbury  petitioned  the 
General  Court  to  be  made  into  a  separate  pre- 
cinct, freed  from  taxes  to  the  Roxbury  Parish, 
and  for  aid  to  build  a  meeting-house.  This 
was  not  granted,  so  these  men  built  a  crude 
house  themselves  in  what  is  now  Roslindale, 
back  of  Green  Hill;  the  remains  of  the  old 
cemetery  can  still  be  seen.  A  covenant  was 
drawn  up,  more  a  statement  of  purpose  than 


168  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

a  creed,  pledging  themselves  to  strive  for 
righteousness  and  a  prayer  for  help  to  faith- 
fully watch  over  each  other's  souls,  and  a  call 
for  all  to  join  and  make  these  things  a  reality 
in  this  west-end  of  Roxbury  called  Spring 
Street.  It  is  little  wonder  that  a  church 
founded  upon  it  should  listen  with  joy  to  the 
strong  words  of  the  19th  century  Prophet. 

The  records  state  that  this  Second  Church 
was  "gathered  by  Nehemiah  Walter,  Nov.  2nd, 
1712,"  so  the  separation  from  the  parent 
church  was  finally  made  in  good  will,  and  on 
November  26th  the  first  minister,  Ebenezer 
Thayer,  was  installed.  The  records  are  very 
meagre,  but  written  by  Mr.  Thayer,  who  fur- 
nished this  first  record  book  "for  the  use  of  ye 
church  in  the  west  end  of  Roxbury."  Many 
are  the  entries  of  birth,  baptism,  marriage  and 
death,  and  of  wrongdoers  confessing  publicly 
in  the  broad  aisle.  After  eighteen  years  Mr. 
Thayer  died,  and  a  unanimous  vote  called  Rev. 
Nathaniel  Walter  to  them.  He  was  the  son 
of  Nehemiah,  who  gathered  the  church,  and  of 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Increase  Mather;  he  was 
with  the  parish  forty-two  years,  honored  and 
beloved. 

The  notes  of  the  Parish  and  Precinct  meet- 
ings are  interesting,  for  both  were  held  in  the 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         169 

church,  church  and  state  being  one.  It  was  a 
great  rallying  place  where  everything  was 
talked  over  and  decided.  The  amount  of  the 
minister's  salary  is  noted  and  how  it  should  be 
levied,  also  arrangements  for  providing  his 
firewood.  The  vote  of  forty-five  pounds  to 
defray  expenses  of  Mr.  Walter's  ordination 
festivities  and  ten  pounds  tax  "for  to  anchor 
the  meeting  house,  every  one  to  contribute  and 
mark  his  money  and  have  credit  therefor  in 
this  rate."  Mr.  Walter  had  a  long  illness  and 
year  after  year  the  records  show  how  money 
was  voted  to  help  their  Rev.  Pastor  supply  his 
pulpit  in  his  sickness;  finally  Rev.  Thomas 
Abbott  was  made  colleague.  In  1773  the  rec- 
ords report  that  "this  day  the  church  abolish 
ye  ancient  custom  of  persons  making  confes- 
sion in  ye  broad  aisle,''  and  again,  "Ye  old  ver- 
sion of  the  psalms  was  laid  aside  and  Dr. 
Watts'  hymns  were  established." 

The  community  grew  rapidly  and  people  in 
Jamaica  Plain  were  so  far  from  the  Walter 
Street  Church  that  a  Third  Church  of  Christ 
in  Roxbury  was  organized  — until  last  July 
Rev.  Charles  F.  Dole's  parish — and  the  first 
child  of  the  Second  Church. 

For  sixty-one  years  the  people  had  used  this 
church  on  Walter  Street,    but    though    en- 


170  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

larged  and  repaired  it  had  outgrown  its  needs 
so  in  1773  after  a  seven  years'  debate  for  and 
against  rebuilding  it  was  voted  "To  pull  down 
the  old  meeting-house  and  use  as  much  of  the 
same  as  will  answer  toward  building  a  new 
one."  This  second  building  on  the  corner  of 
Centre  and  Church  Streets,  West  Roxbury, 
was  built  mostly  by  the  people  themselves.  It 
was  square  and  painted  white  but  had  no 
steeple  until  remodelled  in  1821  when  a  beauti- 
ful spire  was  added  and  in  this  form  it  re- 
mained until  pulled  down  when  scarred  by  fire 
many  years  after  Parker's  day.  The  pews 
were  sold  outright  and  transmitted  by  will 
from  generation  to  generation.  The  first  wall 
pew  sold  for  sixty  pounds  to  the  highest  tax 
payer,  reducing  twenty  shillings  on  each  until 
all  were  sold;  those  in  the  body  of  the  church 
started  at  thirty  pounds  reducing  five  shillings 
on  each  until  sold;  a  few  seats  were  reserved 
for  the  poor  and  for  colored  members. 

It  was  voted  that  those  people  who  wished 
to  build  stables  back  of  the  house  have  liberty 
to  build;  they  were  soon  built  by  a  committee 
of  twenty-five  men  who  also  levelled  the  earth 
about  the  church. 

This  second  church  was  built  in  stirring 
times  and  the  people  who  learned  freedom  in 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  171 

the  precinct  meetings  took  active  part  in  mend- 
ing the  evil  times,  along  with  Lexington,  Con- 
cord and  Dedham.  The  men  of  Roxbury 
answered  to  the  call  of  Samuel  Adams  "that  a 
love  of  liberty  and  a  zeal  to  support  it  may  en- 
kindle in  every  town."  The  church  became  a 
center  for  talk  and  action,  political  and  re- 
ligious, its  members  joined  the  army  and  there 
is  a  tradition  that  a  company  of  Colonial 
troops  marched  down  the  broad  aisle  one  day 
to  receive  the  blessing  of  the  pastor  before 
joining  Washington's  army. 

After  the  tea-party  in  Boston  Harbor  the 
mothers  of  West  Roxbury  did  well  not  to  in- 
quire too  closely  where  their  boys  had  been 
that  night.  Absolute  quiet  reigned,  until  late 
at  night  the  men  returned  and  brought  the 
stirring  news. 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  is  written 
in  the  faded  old  record  book  and  it  was  read 
from  the  pulpit  one  Sabbath  to  a  silent  con- 
gregation. Many  of  the  men's  seats  were  va- 
cant, a  cloud  of  uncertainty  hung  over  the 
little  church,  for  both  men  and  women  knew 
what  that  Declaration  meant  to  those  they 
loved,  still  they  never  wavered  but  remained 
steadfast,  full  of  courage. 

On  January  26th,  1776,  while  recruits  were 


172  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

heard  passing  by  the  meeting-house,  in  pre- 
cinct meeting  regularly  assembled,  this  vote 
was  gravely  passed,  "As  it  had  been  the  prac- 
tise for  many  years,  after  the  Sacrament  of 
the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered,  for  the 
remainder  of  the  wine  to  be  used  by  any  per- 
son present  and  as  it  answers  no  good  end  and 
as  that  article  is  scarce  and  dear  the  church 
voted  that  no  more  wine  should  be  given  after 
Sacrament."  After  a  battle  of  three  years' 
duration  between  the  singers  and  some  mem- 
bers of  the  congregation,  the  singers  won  and 
the  custom  of  deaconing  the  psalms  was  given 
up  forever  in  that  church.  The  account  is 
very  amusing  for  when  Brother  after  Brother 
refused  to  tune  the  psalm  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  find  a  member  who  would  and  it 
reported  they  found  nobody  at  home  where 
they  called! 

In  George  Whitney's  ministry  a  new  and 
more  liberal  covenant  was  adopted  signed  by 
only  five  persons,  one  his  wife,  still  it  led  the 
way  one  more  step  towards  preparing  the 
people  for  the  next  preacher. 

Now  begins  the  richest  period  of  this  parish 
which  added  so  greatly  to  its  already  illustrious 
fame,  the  memory  of  which  is  a  source  of  pride 
and  joy  to  all  succeeding  ministers  and  con- 


CHURCHES    OP    GREATER    BOSTON  173 

gregations,  namely  the  nine  years'  pastorate  of 
Theodore  Parker.  In  1836  this  young  man, 
fresh  from  the  Harvard  Divinity  School,  was 
preaching  here  and  there,  waiting  for  a  call. 
He  was  noted  for  his  high  intellectual  attain- 
ments, a  wide  range  of  knowledge,  as  a  master 
of  twenty  languages  and  for  being  an  inveter- 
ate student  and  reader.  Also  his  liberal  the- 
ology and  a  leaning  towards  transcendentalism 
(a  very  obnoxious  and  little  imderstood  term 
at  the  time)  was  causing  alarm  among  the 
orthodox  so  it  is  little  wonder  that  he  was  a 
year  waiting  for  a  settled  pulpit.  Meanwhile 
he  preached  in  many  towns  and  was  married 
to  Miss  Lydia  Cabot  when  in  a  very  uncertain 
state  as  to  what  salary  he  would  have  where- 
with to  support  her. 

Finally  a  call  came  from  the  Spring  Street 
Society  of  West  Roxbury  on  May  23rd,  1837, 
where  he  had  made  an  excellent  impression 
several  times  and  he  gladly  accepted  on  a  salary 
of  six  hundred  dollars, — less  than  he  was  of- 
fered at  two  other  places.  With  his  friend.  Dr. 
Francis,  and  the  Boston  and  Cambridge  book- 
stores within  walking  distance  and  his  great 
love  of  country  life,  this  choice  was  a  happy 
one.  The  ordination  ceremony  on  June  21st 
of  that  year  brought  together  an  eminent  set 


174  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

of  men.  Dr.  Francis  preached  the  sermon, 
Henry  Ware,  Jr.,  offered  prayer,  Caleb  Stet- 
son delivered  the  charge,  George  Ripley  of 
Brook  Farm  fame  gave  the  right  hand  of  fel- 
lowship and  John  Pierpont  and  John  S. 
Dwight  each  furnished  a  poem.  No  one  then 
dreamed  how  eventful  the  next  nine  years 
were  to  prove  to  Mr.  Parker. 

Mr.  Parker  says  himself  "on  the  longest 
day  of  1837  I  was  ordained  minister  of  the 
Unitarian  Church  and  congregation  at  West 
Roxbury,  a  little  village  near  Boston,  one  of 
the  smallest  societies  in  New  England,  where 
I  found  men  and  women  whose  friendship  is 
still  dear  and  instructive.  I  soon  became  well 
acquainted  with  all  in  the  little  parish,  where 
I  found  some  men  of  rare  enlightenment,  some 
truly  generous  and  noble  souls.  I  knew  the 
characters  of  all  and  the  thoughts  of  such  as 
had  them.  I  took  great  pains  with  the  com- 
position of  my  sermons,  they  were  never  out 
of  my  mind.  I  had  an  intense  delight  in  writ- 
ing and  preaching,  but  I  was  a  learner  quite 
as  much  as  a  preacher  and  was  feeling  my  way 
forward  and  upward  with  one  hand  while  I 
tried  to  lead  men  with  the  other.  The  simple 
life  of  the  farmers,  mechanics  and  milk- 
men about  me,  of  its  own  accord,  turned  into 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         175 

a  sort  of  poetry  and  reappeared  in  the  sermons, 
as  the  green  woods,  not  far  off,  looked  in  at  the 
windows  of  the  meeting-house." 

Aaron  D.  Weld  was  a  friend  and  church 
member  and  the  parish  house  a  mile  from  the 
church  was  next  to  the  home  of  a  noted  friend 
and  parishioner,  Mr.  George  R.  Russell,  while 
Mr.  Francis  Shaw  lived  next,  so  at  once  the 
minister  was  in  the  midst  of  culture  and  warm 
friends,  these  houses  being  always  open  to 
him. 

Mr.  Parker  visited  freely  among  his  people, 
who  were  mostly  farmers  whom  he  loved  (had 
he  not  worked  often  seventeen  hours  a  day  on 
his  father's  farm  in  Lexington?),  and  he  went 
as  gladly  to  visit  in  a  kitchen  as  in  a  parlor. 

The  West  Roxbury  life  was  a  happy  one  for 
Mr.  Parker  and  he  enjoyed  his  home  with  his 
dear  wife  and  welcomed  friends  to  it.  Though 
he  grieved  for  having  no  children  of  his  own, 
he  enjoyed  his  friends'  little  ones  and  was 
never  too  busy  to  play  with  them,  and  one  of 
these  no  doubt  was  the  little  Robert  Gould 
Shaw,  dear  to  all  our  hearts. 

All  nature's  manifestations  were  a  soothing 
joy  to  Mr.  Parker;  he  took  long  walks,  knew 
each  tree  and  every  flower's  haunt  and  gath- 
ered them  most  carefully.     Mr.  Ripley  often 


176  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

joined  in  these  walks,  discussing  with  him  the 
important  problems  of  life,  while  drinking  in 
health  and  inspiration  from  the  beautiful 
country  about  them. 

I  had  the  privilege  of  seeing  the  first  old  yel- 
low record  book,  tender  with  age  but  written 
with  black  ink  easy  to  read,  also  Mr.  Parker's 
record  book  in  which  he  wrote  a  new  covenant 
more  in  sympathy  with  his  thought.  "We 
whose  names  are  written  underneath  this  con- 
stitute ourselves  members  of  the  Christian 
Church  and  unite  for  the  purpose  of  promoting 
Goodness  and  Purity  amongst  ourselves  and 
others."     A  long  list  of  signatures  follows. 

An  exact  account  of  his  preachings  and  ex- 
changes are  recorded,  his  exchanges  amount- 
ing some  years  to  over  fifty,  but  gradually 
falling  to  fourteen,  and  then  suddenly  to  none 
after  his  South  Boston  sermon.  Against 
some  names  are  written  "Blank  fell  back,  so 
and  so  fell  back,"  that  is,  cancelled  the  ex- 
change. 

On  these  Sundays  he  poured  out  his  heart 
to  his  people.  He  said,  "I  preach  abundant 
heresies,  none  calling  me  to  account  therefor, 
but  men's  faces  looking  like  fires  new  stirred 
thereat.*' 

Side  by  side  with  the  farmers,  sat  the  Brook 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         1T7 

Farmers,  who  lived  two  miles  distant  and 
walked  to  the  "Street"  (Centre  St.)  on  those 
rare  Sunday  mornings  to  listen  to  this  prophet 
of  a  new  religion.  There  were  George  Ripley, 
his  wife  and  sister,  Charles  A.  Dana,  George 
Wilham  Curtis,  and  his  brother  Burrill,  John 
Orvis,  Margaret  Fuller  when  visiting  at  the 
farm,  John  S.  D wight  with  his  sisters  and 
many  others.  Louisa  Alcott  walked  there 
from  Roxbury  Crossing  and  back  to  hear  her 
friend  Parker  preach.  A  letter  from  my 
mother,  Mary  Ann  Dwight,  to  a  friend  about 
one  of  the  sermons  shows  how  deeply  one 
listener  was  affected  by  it.  (Mr.  Parker  was 
on  the  eve  of  leaving  for  a  year  to  regain  his 
health  in  Europe.) 

"No  doubt  it  was  lovely  at  the  craggs 
(Hingham)  last  Sabbath,  and  had  we  been 
there  we  might  have  gone  home  the  richer  in 
spirit,  yet  I  would  not  have  exchanged  my 
seat  in  Parker's  pleasant  httle  church  even  for 
the  craggs  and  communion  in  sympathy  with 
thee,  with  nature,  and  nature's  God.  I  do  not 
say  I  never  would,  but  the  last  words  for  some 
long  time,  of  a  person  whose  preaching  has  in- 
terested me  so  deeply  and  whose  character  as 
manifested  by  it  more  deeply  still,  seem  in- 
valuable and  I  rejoice  that  I  am  privileged  to 


178  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

hear  them.  Oh  that  you  were  here  today,  that 
all  lovers  of  truth  were  here  to  be  encouraged 
and  edified,  still  more  that  all  lovers  of  lies 
were  here  to  be  rebuked  and  shamed,  and  to 
catch  at  least  one  glimpse  into  the  hfe  of  a 
noble  and  true  man.  Today  has  been  a  trying 
time  for  Parker  and  his  people.  It  has  been 
their  last  meeting  for  a  year  and  who  knows 
what  a  year  may  bring  forth?  This  afternoon 
the  church  was  crowded,  every  pew,  nook  and 
corner,  and  faces  looked  in  at  the  doors.  We 
went  down  to  the  church  very  early  and  found 
it  nearly  filled  and  Aunt  Corey's  pew  occu- 
pied ;  many  had  come  from  neighboring  towns 
and  some  from  a  distance.  Mr.  Parker  had 
two  texts,  the  first,  *I  have  not  refused  to 
preach  the  whole  counsel  of  God';  the  second, 
*  Though  absent  in  the  body  I  will  be  present 
in  the  spirit.'  The  sermon  was  long,  giving  a 
full  and  faithful  account  of  his  ministry  from 
the  beginning.  How  clear,  how  earnest  and 
how  eloquent.  Never  was  he  bolder,  he  had 
made  a  clean  breast  of  it  and  thrown  the  whole 
burden  off  his  soul.  He  explained  the  aim  of 
his  ministry,  the  plan  he  had  pursued  and 
spoke  of  the  consequences,  spoke  of  the  diffi- 
culties that  had  assailed  him,  told  what  advice 
had  been  given  him  by  friends,  what  by  some 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         179 

of  the  clergy,  how  he  had  hesitated  long  before 
preaching  some  of  his  sermons,  not  through 
fear  of  having  *the  clergy  about  his  ears'  but 
through  fear  of  doing  his  people  an  injury  by 
wounding  their  prejudices.  But  it  would  be 
absurd  for  me  to  attempt  to  tell  you  in  a  letter 
of  a  single  sheet  even  an  outline  of  his  dis- 
course but  I  think  it  will  surely  be  printed, 
for  it  will  be  interesting  to  the  public  by  an- 
swering a  question  many  are  asking  *How 
does  he  manage  in  his  society?'  'How  happens 
it  that  he  is  liked  there?'  He  told  the  people 
that  if  they  had  fallen  away  from  him,  as  he 
feared  they  might,  after  the  outcry  about  the 
South  Boston  sermon,  his  plan  would  have 
been  to  get  any  work  he  could  for  eight  months 
in  the  year,  and  preach  the  remaining  four, 
the  word  that  burnt  in  his  soul,  where  he  could 
find  a  place,  in  a  hall,  a  schoolhouse,  a  barn.  In 
regard  to  the  charge  brought  against  him  of 
saying  that  ministers  preach  one  thing  in  the 
pulpit  and  believe  another  in  their  closets,  he 
said  that  he  had  never,  in  making  this  remark 
in  a  public  discourse,  alluded  to  any  individual. 
He  charged  a  young  man  not  to  do  so,  and  in 
his  sermon  on  the  Pharisee,  he  rebuked  any- 
one who  did  so  whether  in  that  pulpit,  in  his 
own  person,  or  in  any   other  pulpit,   but  he 


180  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

would  now  say,  openly  and  in  public,  that 
some  ministers  had  told  him  that  they  did 
this  and  he  said  this  advisedly,  knowing  what 
he  said.  If  those  ministers  have  any  feeling 
must  they  not  hide  their  heads?  How  fer- 
vently he  thanked  the  people  for  their  charity 
and  friendliness;  what  deep  and  enduring 
gratitude  in  his  words  and  countenance!  No 
wonder  many  were  melted  to  tears  and  sobs 
were  heard  even  from  men.  But  enough,  or 
rather  too  much,  because  I  cannot  tell  all.  The 
people  have  addressed  Mr.  Parker  a  letter 
which  was  given  him  after  meeting  today,  ex- 
pressive of  their  friendship  and  esteem  and 
gratitude,  wishing  him  health,  happiness  and 
a  safe  return.  It  is  one  of  the  most  heart- 
felt things  ever  done  and  must  therefore  be 
very  gratifying  to  him.  I  believe  everybody 
would  sign  it  twice  over  if  it  would  do  any 
good.  Will  you  have  more  of  Mr.  Parker? 
Why  you  say  I  can't  help  myself,  I  suppose  I 
must.  Know  then  that  his  sermon  this  fore- 
noon was  one  of  exceeding  beauty,  rich  in 
thought  and  expression  and  it  had  a  close  ap- 
plication to  each  listener.  The  joys  of  Jesus 
formed  his  subject  or  the  joys  and  comforts 
of  religion  as  applied  to  all  of  us. 

"(Signed)     Mary  Ann." 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         181 

Mr.  Higginson  says  "Mr.  Parker  has  a 
heart  as  tender  as  a  woman's,  it  was  often  torn 
with  love  and  compassion  while  smiting  with 
terrific  force  at  the  evils  and  falseness  of 
Church  and  Society,  he  spoke  only  from  a  sense 
of  duty,  because  he  must."  He  loved  his 
friends  and  their  good  opinion,  but  like  his 
friend  Charles  Sumner  and  no  less  than  he,  he 
suffered  ostracism  and  abuse  for  the  sake  of  his 
conscience.  The  world  knows  Theodore 
Parker,  the  great  p/eacher,  reformer,  de- 
nouncer of  unrighteousness,  only  a  chosen  few 
knew  the  man,  companion,  comforter,  friend 
and  pastor.  He  was  sought  by  many  in  great 
trouble;  they  never  left  him  without  being 
comforted  and  helped  spiritually  and  mate- 
rially. In  the  midst  of  the  most  strenuous 
work  he  was  never  sought  in  vain  by  any  needy 
person  of  whatever  race  or  social  standing. 

My  uncle,  John  S.  Dwight,  and  Mr.  Parker 
were  classmates  in  the  Divinity  School  and  in- 
timate friends  together  with  WiUiam  Silsbee, 
Samuel  Andrews,  George  ElUs,  with  Christo- 
pher Cranch  and  Charles  T.  Brooks  of  the 
senior  class.  Parker  was  very  studious  but  he 
also  had  plenty  of  fun  for  once  when  dis- 
turbed in  his  studies  by  Dwight  and  Cranch 
playing  on  the  flute  and  piano  he  planned  re- 


182  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

venge.  They  were  interrupted  by  a  fearful 
noise  and  on  opening  the  door  found  Parker 
with  a  sawhorse  and  saw  from  the  cellar,  saw- 
ing wood,  and  he  kept  at  it  until  he  silenced 
them. 

Mr.  Parker  once  requested  Mr.  Dwight  to 
tell  him  the  faults  he  noticed  in  his  character 
and  1  will  read  his  reply  which  is  certainly  in- 
teresting (coming  from  a  young  man)  and 
shows  keen  discrimination.  Mr.  Parker  had 
done  Mr.  Dwight  a  similar  service  some  time 
before : 

"I  may  hint  to  you  something  about  your 
character  as  I  would  to  myself  about  my  own, 
rather  in  the  way  of  cautious  suspicion  than  in 
passing  any  actual  judgment.  I  should  be 
unworthy  of  the  confidence  you  have  reposed 
in  me  if  I  did  not  speak  to  you  openly.  I 
always  thought  you  had  faults,  but  if  I  try 
to  touch  them  they  slip  away.  Therefore 
let  me  commence  systematically;  and  first, 
whatever  may  be  your  habitual  principles,  mo- 
tives, tendencies,  passions,  you  do  not  fail  at 
all  in  the  resolution  to  act  them  out.  What- 
ever you  wish,  you  will,  and  what  you  will  you 
effect.  This  I  have  admired  in  you,  perhaps 
because  I  am  so  passive.  But  yet  even  this 
virtue  you  carry  to  a  degree  which  is  disagree- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  183 

able  to  me.  I  don't  like  to  see  a  man  have  too 
much  will :  It  mars  the  beauty  of  nature.  You 
seem  as  the  phrenologist  said,  'goaded  on.' 
Your  life  seems  a  succession  of  convulsive  ef- 
forts, and  the  only  wonder  to  me  is  that  they 
don't  exhaust  you.  You  continually  recover 
and  launch  forth  again.  This  circumstance 
makes  me  somewhat  distrust  my  own  judgment 
about  this  trait.  Still  it  is  painful  for  me  to 
see  a  being  whom  I  respect  and  love  anything 
but  calm.  I  like  not  impetuosity,  except  that 
of  unconscious  impulse.  You  distrust  those 
who  are  unlike  yourself.  You  fancy  them  re- 
straints upon  you  and  then  your  faith  in  your 
own  energies  and  ideas  speaks  out  in  a  tone 
of  almost  bitter  contempt  for  the  world  and 
those  who  do  not  think  and  feel  as  you  do.  Yon 
feel  that  such  sentiments  as  you  cherish  ought 
to  triumph,  but  you  find  the  world  courting 
men  who  pursue  inferior  aims.  Coupled  with 
your  high  ideal  is  an  impatient  wish  to  see  it 
immediately  realized,  two  things  which  don't 
go  well  together;  for  the  one  prompts  you  to 
love,  the  other  soured  by  necessary  disappoint- 
ments, prompts  to  hate,  at  least  contempt. 

I  think  your  love  of  learning  is  a  passion, 
that  it  injures  your  mind  by  converting  in- 
sensibly what  is  originally  a  pure   thirst   for 


184  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

truth  into  a  greedy,  avaricious,  jealous  striving 
not  merely  to  know,  but  to  get  all  there  is 
known.  Don't  you  often  turn  aside  from  your 
own  reflection  from  the  fear  of  losing  what  an- 
other has  said  or  written  on  the  subject? 
Have  you  not  too  much  of  a  mania  for  all 
printed  things,  as  if  books  were  the  symbols 
of  that  truth  to  which  the  student  aspires? 
You  work,  you  read,  you  think  in  a  hurry,  for 
fear  of  not  getting  all.  Tell  me  if  I  conjec- 
ture wrongly,  and  pardon  this  weak  but  sin- 
cere attempt  to  answer  your  questions.  Your 
friend  and  brother." 

The  life  in  West  Roxbury  was  a  good  thing 
for  Mr.  Parker  and  in  view  of  all  the  stornf 
that  was  to  follow  the  stand  his  church  took, 
the  truth  and  faith  they  showed  him  softened 
his  suffering. 

Parker  had  been  preaching  a  year  in  West 
Roxbury  when  Emerson  gave  his  Divinity 
School  address;  in  his  journal  for  that  day, 
July  5th,  1838,  he  wrote:  "After  preaching, 
Sunday-schooling  and  teachers'  meeting,  wife 
and  I  went  to  hear  the  valedictory  sermon  by 
Mr.  Emerson  in  Cambridge.  In  this  he  sur- 
passed himself  as  much  as  he  surpasses  others 
in  a  general  way.  I  shall  give  no  extract,  so 
beautiful,  so  just,  so  true  and  terribly  sublime 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         185 

was  his  picture  of  the  faults  of  the  Church  in 
its  present  position.  My  soul  is  roused  and  this 
week  I  shall  write  the  long  meditated  sermon 
on  the  state  of  the  Church  and  the  duties  of 
these  times." 

After  Parker  preached  the  South  Boston 
sermon  on  "The  Transient  and  Permanent  in 
Christianity"  the  great  contention  of  which  was 
that  Christianity  as  an  absolute  religion  shines 
by  its  own  light,  is  its  own  evidence  and  needs 
no  miraculous  support,  the  storm  of  abuse  and 
criticism  broke  out,  with  a  few  notable  excep- 
tions Boston  pulpits  were  closed  to  him  and 
friends  fell  away  from  him,  but  now  the  West 
Roxbury  people  gathered  close  about  him  and 
helped  cheer  him  through  all  the  strain  and  sor- 
row. James  Freeman  Clarke  lost  fifteen  fam- 
ilies from  his  Society  by  exchanging  with  Mr. 
Parker. 

An  extract  from  a  letter  of  Miss  Parsons 
to  Marianne  Dwight  at  Brook  Farm  gives  an 
idea  of  how  deeply  Mr.  Clarke's  Society  felt. 
Parker  preached  grandly  to  crammed  audi- 
ences. Mr.  B.  thought  Mr.  Clarke's  course 
so  noble  and  beautiful  he  wished  to  know  him, 
and  had  he  called  today  as  he  said  he  should 
I  was  going  there  with  him.  Could  you  have 
watched  Mr.  Clarke  through  all  this  stormy 


186  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

time  you  would  have  acknowledged,  I  think, 
the  beauty,  the  loveliness,  of  his  spirit  and 
would  have  seen  that  what  you  have  thought 
wavering  and  expediency  was  a  delicacy  in 
his  Christian  love  and  consideration  for  the 
feelings  of  others.  The  aggrieved  members 
ftiave  felt  most  deeply  wounded.  I  respect 
many,  more  than  before  for  their  deep 
conscientiousness,  though  I  do  not  love  their 
narrowness  and  believe  in  many  respects  they 
have  acted  bhndly.  Mrs.  Loring  says  "Mr. 
Clarke  has  been  celestial."  The  meetings  have 
been  numerous  and  quite  exciting,  the  tears 
have  flowed  freely  and  many  look  pale  and  ill, 
but  Mr.  Clarke  has  ever  been  tranquil  and  re- 
freshing. John  Andrew  has  been  noble  and 
his  speech  was  an  intellectual  feast  at  the  last 
meeting;  they  asked  Mr.  Clarke  "Will  nothing 
induce  you  to  retract?"  He  answered  "If  the 
church  will  pass  a  vote  that  1  have  exceeded  my 
bounds  I  will  tell  Mr.  Parker  he  cannot  come, 
otherwise  should  he  come  to  me,  I  would  not 
release  him  though  my  church  should  dissolve 
in  consequence.  Our  union  is  dear  to  my 
heart.  I  have  thought  much  of  it.  The 
Catholics  have  tried  it  by  suppressing  heresies 
and  are  a  withered  branch,  the  Protestants,  by 
exclusiveness  and  are  going  to  seed.     I  see  no 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         187 

way  left  but  this  of  universal  love  and  not  con- 
founding theology  with  religion,  and  it  is  as 
well  to  try  it  here  and  now,  as  to  delay." 

Again  mother  wrote  that  "Mrs.  Davis  Weld 
came  to  see  me  last  Monday  and  from  her  I 
lea^med  what  a  furore  pervades  the  Saints 
who  are  afraid  to  hear  Parker.  Heaven  help 
them,  for  it  is  as  dark  as  Egypt  all  around 
them.     Such  commotions  always  do  good.'* 

After  Mr.  Parker  returned  from  Europe  in 
January,  1845,  a  resolution  was  passed  by  a 
company  of  men  in  Boston,  "That  the  Rev. 
Theodore  Parker  have  a  chance  to  be  heard  in 
Boston."  This  offered  a  broader  field  and 
Parker  resigned  in  West  Roxbury  though  liv- 
ing and  preaching  there  Sunday  afternoons 
for  a  year. 

Resolutions  drawn  up  by  George  R.  Russell 
were  sent  to  Mr.  Parker  by  the  parish  and  I 
quote  one  sentence:  "Resolved  that  our  con- 
nection has  been  one  of  the  deepest  interest. 
Circumstances  have  called  for  our  warmest 
support  and  sympathy.  We  have  gathered 
around  him  when  the  world  forsook  him.  When 
his  brethren  were  cold  and  no  word  of  kindly 
encouragement  met  him  on  the  right  or  on  the 
left,  this  little  Society,  few  in  numbers,  in- 
considerable in  influence,  did  not  shrink  from 


188  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

bearing  its  testimony  in  his  days  of  trial.  It 
has  stood  by  him  through  good  and  evil  report 
with  a  resolution  and  unanimity  that  has  been 
sustained  by  the  conviction  that  God  would 
uphold  the  right,  that  what  of  truth  was 
uttered  would  live  and  what  of  error  would 
pass  away.  The  bond  that  has  held  us  to- 
gether can  never  be  forgotten  by  him  or  by 
us;  and  we  shall  watch  his  future  career  with 
earnest  solicitude  and  unabated  affection."  Of 
this  set  of  resolutions  this  parish  may  feel  more 
proud  than  of  anything  in  its  history. 

In  1898  a  fourth  church  on  the  corner  of 
Centre  and  Corey  Streets  was  built  and  the 
first  building  is  used  for  a  parish  house  and 
Sunday  school.  I  went  there  lately  and  Mr. 
Arnold  kindly  showed  me  the  Parker  room 
where  rehcs  and  interesting  books  and  pictures 
are  kept.  The  sides  of  this  room  are  wain- 
scotted  with  the  pew  doors  taken  from  the  old 
church.  Mr.  Parker's  old  pulpit  stands  in 
the  new  church  and  is  used ;  it  is  slightly  altered 
in  shape  and  is  colored  instead  of  white.  The 
Society  hold  a  service  at  Pulpit  Rock,  Brook 
Farm  once  a  year,  where  William  Henry 
Channing  often  preached  to  the  community  in 
fine  weather. 

Mr.  Parker  preached  his  first  sermon  to  his 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         189 

Boston  Society  at  the  melodeon  on  February 
16,  1845,  and  a  great  success  followed,  as  from 
Sunday  to  Sunday  he  drew  a  large  distin- 
guished audience.  After  seven  years  the  dark 
hall  was  abandoned  for  the  new  Music  Hall 
and  the  28th  Congregational  Society  of  Bos- 
ton was  organized  as  a  body  for  religious  wor- 
ship. Parker  created  this  Society  and  it 
moulded  his  life.  There  was  no  ordination, 
for  ministers  would  not  take  part,  so  Parker 
preached  and  prayed  and  the  people  gave  their 
right  hands. 

A  few  words  must  be  said  about  these  re- 
markable Music  Hall  gatherings,  often  3,000 
in  number  at  one  meeting,  at  which  Mr.  Park- 
er spoke  surrounded  on  the  platform  by  per- 
sonal friends,  as  by  a  body  guard.  For  the 
first  time  in  history  flowers  adorned  the  pulpit 
put  there  by  friends.  Mr.  Chadwick  says, 
"Every  Sunday,  a  quarter  part  of  his  great 
congregation  consisted  of  persons  who  had 
never  heard  him  before  and  who  might  never 
hear  him  again.  Not  one  of  these  visitors 
must  go  away  without  hearing  the  preacher 
define  his  position  on  every  point,  not  theology 
alone  but  all  current  events  and  permanent 
principles,  the  presidential  nomination  or  mes- 
sage,  the  laws   of  trade,   laws  of  congress. 


190  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

women's  rights  and  costume,  Boston  kid- 
nappers and  Dr.  Barnaby,  he  must  put  it  all  in. 
His  ample  discourse  must  be  like  an  Oriental 
poem  which  begins  with  the  creation  of  the 
Universe  and  includes  all  subsequent  facts  in- 
cidentally." He  adds,  "It  is  astonishing  to 
see  how  many  times  the  same  stirring  speech 
has  been  given  but  with  new  illustrations  and 
statistics  and  all  so  remoulded  and  so  fresh 
that  neither  listeners  nor  preacher  was  aware 
of  the  repetition."  Parker  was  in  great  de- 
mand all  over  the  country,  and  did  an  enor- 
mous amount  of  speaking.  When  Thackery 
came  to  America  he  said  what  he  wanted  most 
of  all  was  to  hear  Theodore  Parker  talk. 

While  Mr.  Parker  was  firing  his  guns  in  the 
Music  Hall  the  Park  Street  Society,  just  op- 
posite, was  greatly  exercised  to  prevent  his 
preaching  and  called  a  meeting  on  March  6th, 
1858.  Some  of  the  prayers  offered  were  as 
follows : 

"Lord,  we  know  that  we  cannot  argue  him 
down.,  and  the  more  we  say  against  him  the 
more  the  people  flock  after  him  and  the  more 
they  will  love  and  revere  him.  O  Lord  what 
shall  be  done  for  Boston  if  thou  dost  not  take 
this  and  some  other  matters  in  hand." 

"Oh  Lord,  send  confusion  and  distraction 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         191 

into  his  study  this  afternoon  and  prevent  his 
finishing  his  preparations  for  his  labors  to- 
morrow." 

"Oh  Lord,  if  this  man  will  still  persist  in 
speaking  in  pubHc,  induce  the  people  to  leave 
him  and  come  and  fill  this  house  instead  of 
that." 

I  do  not  need  to  enlarge  here  on  Theodore 
Parker's  character  or  to  dwell  upon  his  other 
fields  of  labor,  neither  time  nor  my  subject 
permits;  so  I  will  merely  say  in  conclusion 
that  Mr.  Parker's  love  for  the  Twenty-eighth 
Society  was  his  crowning  happiness,  and  when 
his  health  gave  out  and  he  was  forced  to  leave 
these  friends,  never  to  return,  letters  kept  him 
informed  of  all  their  doings.  He  sent  fre- 
quent letters  to  be  read  to  them,  writing  the 
Society  that  he  always  set  apart  the  hour  when 
they  were  worshipping  to  be  with  them  in 
spirit  and  in  prayer. 

For  the  history  of  the  Parish  I  am  mainly  indebted 
to  Rev.  Mr.  Applebee's  article  published  in  the  West 
Roxbury  magazine  in  1900,  and  I  have  helped  myself 
liberally  from  the  lives  of  Parker,  by  Higginson  and 
Chadwick.  h.  d.  o. 


192  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

FIRST  PARISH  OF  DORCHESTER 

[Meeting  House  Hill] 

The  history  of  the  first  parish  of  Dorchester 
comprises  far  more  than  the  records  of  a 
church.  It  deals  with  the  great  spiritual  forces 
which  helped  to  make  the  backbone  of  our 
country,  and  which  created  that  solidity  of 
character  and  loftiness  of  ideals  which  still 
dominate  our  national  life  in  spite  of  the  many 
counteracting  influences. 

That  was  a  wonderful  movement  which  in 
1630  sent  seventeen  frail  vessels,  with  their 
loads  of  earnest  determined  pioneers,  on  their 
long  voyages  across  the  ocean,  away  from  the 
country  which  they  dearly  loved,  from  the 
church  to  which  they  were  still  loyally  at- 
tached, from  comfort  and  prosperity,  and  from 
strong  ties  of  kindred  and  friendship. 

Although  we  are  very  familiar  with  this 
chapter  of  our  history,  it  is  impossible  to  con- 
sider it  thoughtfully  without  experiencing  a 
thrill,  and  a  feeling  of  pride  in  our  remarkable 
origin.  The  motive  which  actuated  these  early 
settlers  was  political  as  well  as  religious,  but 
the  underlying  impulse  was  love  of  freedom. 

The  moving  spirit  of  the  Puritan  coloniza- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         193 

tion  was  Rev.  John  White.  He  was  bishop  of 
Dorchester,  England,  from  whence  came  the 
name  of  the  first  new  settlement.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  power  and  influence  and  it  was 
said  of  him  that  he  possessed  absolute  control 
of  two  things,  his  own  passions  and  the  purses 
of  his  parishioners.  He  was  distinguished  for 
strength  of  character  and  persuasive  force,  and 
ralhed  about  him  a  large  number  who  were 
eager  to  carry  out  his  cherished  plans  of  colo- 
nization. He  has  been  called  the  father  of 
New  England,  for  he  not  only  instigated  the 
movement  which  led  to  its  settlement,  but  he 
exercised  a  patriarchal  influence  over  the  colo- 
nies, and  it  was  through  his  efforts  that  they 
received  recognition  in  England.  However, 
he  never  came  to  this  country  and  for  that  rea- 
son he  does  not  receive  the  prominence  he  de- 
serves in  our  histories. 

Next  to  the  Plymouth  society,  the  one  in 
Dorchester  was  the  oldest  in  Massachusetts, 
having  been  established  in  1630,  shortly  before 
the  settlement  of  Boston.  UnUke  other  an- 
cient churches  of  this  section  it  was  organized 
in  England.  This  was  accompUshed  under  the 
guidance  of  John  White,  preliminary  to  the 
departure  for  America.  Two  ministers,  Mr. 
Warham  and  Mr.  Maverick,  who  had  been 


194  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

ordained  in  the  Established  Church,  were 
placed  in  charge,  and  the  religious  hfe  of  the 
church  and  the  colony  began  in  Plymouth, 
England,  with  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer, 
previous  to  setting  sail. 

The  great  purpose  of  this  body  was  "to 
found  a  civil  and  ecclesiastical  government, 
modeled,  constructed  and  administered  on  the 
Bible  as  the  common  source  of  all  divine 
knowledge,"  and  the  Bible  was  to  be  their  only 
guide. 

This  band  of  colonists  sailed  on  the  Mary 
and  John.  Roger  Clapp,  the  chief  historian 
of  the  period,  wrote  thus:  "We  came  by  the 
good  hand  of  the  Lord  through  the  deeps  com- 
fortably, having  preaching  and  expounding  of 
the  word  of  God  every  day  for  ten  weeks  to- 
gether by  our  ministers."  For  the  voyage 
lasted  just  seventy  days. 

UnUke  the  Pilgrims,  they  landed  in  the  most 
beautiful  season  of  the  year,  the  early  part  of 
June.  Their  plan  was  to  settle  on  the  Charles 
River  which  had  become  known  to  them 
through  the  journal  of  Capt.  John  Smith.  But 
the  captain  of  their  vessel  put  them  ashore  near 
Hull  with  all  their  belongings,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  remove  later,  as  best  they  could,  to 
their  intended  destination.  They  chose  a  place 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         195 

called  Mattapan  by  the  Indians.  It  is  now 
known  as  Dorchester  Neck,  and  is,  as  you 
know,  a  long  distance  from  the  present  Matta- 
pan. It  was  selected  as  it  furnished  a  good 
enclosure  for  the  famished  cattle  they  had 
brought  with  them.  {Later  on  the  heirs  of 
Chickatawbut  received  payment  for  the  land. 

A  week  after  their  arrival  the  town  was  es- 
tablished and  remained  the  most  prominent  of 
the  early  settlements,  imtil  overshadowed  in 
time  by  Boston.  Though  the  first  settlers 
found  a  smiling  country  upon  their  arrival, 
there  were  terrible  hardships  before  them  dur- 
ing the  long  rigorous  winters,  due  largely  to 
the  failure  of  their  crops  and  the  difficulty  of 
getting  supplies  from  England.  Roger  Clapp 
wrote,  "When  I  could  have  meal  and  salt  and 
water  boiled  together  it  was  so  good,  who 
could  wish  for  better?" 

The  first  meeting  house  erected  in  1631  was 
a  mean  low  structure  built  of  logs  and  thatch, 
quite  in  contrast  to  the  fine  cathedrals  to  which 
the  Puritans  were  accustomed.  The  men 
worked  with  their  swords  at  their  sides,  while 
constructing  the  church,  and  it  was  surrounded 
with  a  palisade.  Though  the  neighboring 
Indians  were  friendly  the  early    settlers   be- 


196  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

lieved  in  preparedness.  The  church  served  as 
a  place  of  worship  and  of  defence  as  well. 

There  was  soon  a  constant  arrival  of  new 
settlers  and  it  was  decided  that  the  first  comers 
should  swarm  from  the  original  hive  and  start 
a  new  colony.  Consequently  in  1636  a  large 
part  of  the  Dorchester  parish  migrated  to 
Windsor,  Connecticut,  and  this  was  the  begin- 
ning of  the  history  of  that  state.  At  the  same 
time  the  Dorchester  church  was  reorganized 
and  filled  its  ranks  from  the  steady  flow  of  new 
arrivals.  The  church  records  date  from  this 
time  and  are  the  oldest  in  existence. 

There  was  never  any  definite  separation 
from  the  Established  Church  of  England  but 
its  authority  was  unconsciously  ignored  in  the 
new  and  freer  surroundings.  The  Church  had 
no  written  creed.  It  was  however  Calvinistic 
in  faith.  The  service  was  simple,  but  the  spirit 
was  intensely  religious.  Great  importance 
was  given  to  prayer  and  many  days  were  set 
apart  for  special  supplication.  The  subject 
of  their  petition  might  be  the  removal  of  cater- 
pillars and  other  pests,  or  it  might  be  the  re- 
moval of  sin,  or  any  other  need  that  happened 
to  present  itself. 

The  Dorchester  people  set  themselves  from 
the  first  against  slavery,  which   had   already 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON  197 

been  introduced  into  Virginia  when  they  ar- 
rived. In  the  earher  records  is  the  case  of  a 
slave  whom  they  admitted  to  the  church  and 
afterwards  freed,  by  paying  the  necessary  sum 
for  her  ransom.  But  in  deahng  with  Quakers 
and  other  heretics,  they  showed  httle  mercy. 

One  of  the  most  striking  facts  concerning  the 
church  of  Dorchester  is  that  for  one  hundred 
and  seventy-six  years,  bringing  it  up  as  late  as 
1806,  there  was  no  other  church  in  the  town, 
and  Dorchester,  in  those  days,  not  only  in- 
cluded South  Boston  but  at  first  extended 
nearly  to  Rhode  Island.  This  makes  us  rea- 
lize the  tremendous  change  brought  about  in 
one  century.  It  was  nearly  two  hundred  years 
before  Dorchester  settlers  completely  sep- 
arated the  functions  of  church  and  state.  At 
first  the  union  was  very  close.  No  man  was 
allowed  to  vote  unless  he  was  a  member  of  the 
church  and  the  church  was  supported  by  a 
town  tax.  The  ministers  were  called  by  the 
joint  vote  of  the  church  and  town,  and  no  new 
church  could  be  formed  without  the  presence 
of  the  chief  magistrates.  As  late  as  1801  the 
town  was  obliged  to  accept  a  book  of  psalms 
before  it  could  be  adopted. 

The  little  log  church  on  the  corner  of  Cot- 
tage and  Pleasant  Streets  served  for  fifteen 


198  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

years  as  a  house  of  worship.  Another  building 
was  erected  on  the  same  site  but  moved  in  1670 
to  Meeting  House  Hill  where  the  present  edi- 
fice stands.  We  are  so  familiar  with  the  name 
"Meeting  House  Hill"  that  every  vestige  of 
meaning  has  gone  out  of  it  for  us.  But  Dr. 
Hall  tells  how  an  Enghsh  historian,  whom  he 
showed  about  at  one  time,  seemed  greatly  im- 
pressed with  the  quaintness  of  the  name.  In 
1677  a  new  building  Uke  the  Old  Ship  of  Hing- 
ham  was  erected  at  an  expense  of  one  thousand 
dollars  which  seems  quite  small  when  com- 
pared with  the  cost  of  the  present  edifice,  built 
at  a  cost  of  between  fifty  and  sixty  thousand. 
It  was  not  until  1816,  in  the  days  of  Christo- 
pher Wren,  that  the  colonial  meeting  house 
with  its  graceful  spire  was  erected.  No  more 
fit  or  pleasing  design  could  be  found  for  the 
new  structure  which  was  to  replace  it,  when  it 
was  burned  in  1896,  and  we  now  have  prac- 
tically a  reproduction  of  the  charming  old 
church  which  had  been  a  landmark  for  nearly 
one  hundred  years.  Within  the  present  edi- 
fice is  the  wonderful  mahogany  pulpit  from 
Dr.  BartoFs  church  which  was  bought  and 
presented  by  Andrew  Wheelwright. 

The  First  Church  of  Dorchester  has  had  a 
very  short  list  of  ministers,  considering  its  long 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         199 

history,  for  several  of  them  were  associated 
with  the  church  for  forty  years  or  more.  It 
reflects  credit  on  the  society  and  its  pastors 
also  that  changes  have  been  so  infrequent,  and 
it  is  noticeable  that  the  ministers  in  many  cases 
rejected  several  prominent  pulpits  in  order  to 
accept  this  one.  Edward  Everett  in  his  flow- 
ing lines  thus  characterizes  the  men  who  had 
filled  the  pulpits  up  to  his  time:  "It  would 
not  be  easy  to  find  a  town  which  has  been  more 
highly  favored  in  a  succession  of  ministers 
modelled  upon  the  true  type  of  a  New  Eng- 
land pastor  in  which  a  well  digested  store  of 
human  and  divine  learning  directed  by  a  sound 
practical  judgment  was  united  with  an  all  con- 
trolling sense  of  the  worth  of  spiritual  things." 
And  this  was  not  mere  oratory,  but  was  strik- 
ingly true.  One  able  consecrated  man  after 
another  served  as  pastor,  and  though  the  rec- 
ords are  sometimes  meager,  there  is  always 
enough  to  indicate  that  there  was  not  one  who 
did  not  perform  his  duties  in  an  exceptional 
manner. 

We  are  told  that  both  Maverick  and  War- 
ham,  the  pastors  chosen  in  England,  were  able 
and  godly  men. 

Mr.  Warham  was  very  pious  and  subject  to 
religious  depression,  being  in    constant    fear 


200  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

that  he  might  not  be  of  the  elect.  He  went  to 
Windsor  in  1636  and  served  there  for  many 
years.  About  all  we  hear  of  Maverick  is  that 
he  nearly  blew  up  the  meeting  house  while  dry- 
ing out  the  gun  powder  that  was  stored  there. 
He  died  soon  after  the  reorganization  and  the 
church  was  so  fortunate  as  to  secure,  in  his 
place,  Richard  Mather  who  was  also  sought 
after  by  the  Plymouth  and  Roxbury  churches. 
He  was  father  of  Increase  Mather  and  grand- 
father of  Cotton  Mather  and  a  man  of  ver- 
satile attainments.  He  was  in  a  true  sense  a 
religious  martyr  for  he  was  practically  driven 
from  England  on  account  of  his  stubborn  ad- 
herence to  non-conformity.  He  fled  in  dis- 
guise barely  escaping  capture,  and  after  sailing 
through  a  terrific  hurricane,  arrived  in  the 
country  where  he  was  so  much  needed.  He 
was  very  active  in  both  the  church  and  town, 
and  was  a  guiding  spirit  for  thirty-three  years, 
leaving  a  lasting  impression  on  the  institutions 
of  the  country.  The  ministry  of  Josiah  Flint, 
which  followed,  was  shortened  by  ill-health, 
and  then  came  Rev.  John  Danforth,  famous 
for  learning  and  piety,  who  gave  great  satis- 
faction for  forty-eight  years.  The  only  sug- 
gestion of  any  friction  in  the  history  of  the 
early  pastors  occurred  in  the  case  of  his  sue- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         201 

cesser,  Jonathan  Bowman.  At  the  end  of  a 
faithful  ministry  of  forty-three  years  an  ele- 
ment of  discord  was  introduced  by  the  straying 
of  one  of  the  minister's  hens.  It  proved  to  be 
a  very  serious  matter  and  ended  in  Mr.  Bow- 
man requesting  his  release  from  the  church. 
During  the  controversy  he  was  criticised  on  ac- 
count of  the  brevity  of  his  sermons  which  were 
said  to  have  lasted  only  fifteen  or  eighteen 
minutes. 

Moses  Everett,  who  succeeded  him,  was  an 
uncle  of  Edward  Everett  and  great  uncle  of 
Edward  Everett  Hale  and  served  with  great 
acceptance  for  eighteen  years.  Delicate  health 
caused  his  retirement,  for  it  was  said  of  him 
that  he  was  too  feeble  to  fulfill  his  duties,  and 
too  conscientious  to  neglect  them. 

In  1793  one  of  the  greatest  men  who  has  ever 
filled  the  Dorchester  pulpit  accepted  the 
office.  His  name  was  Thaddeus  M.  Harris. 
A  few  things  in  his  early  history  may  be  of 
interest.  At  the  age  of  seven  the  little  Thad- 
deus was  a  war  refugee.  At  the  approach  of 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  his  family  fled  from 
their  home  in  Charlestown  and  drifted  inland. 
A  little  later  his  father  died  and  he  was  placed 
in  a  farmer's  family.  Each  day  he  was  sent 
to  school  with  a  luncheon  which  was  to  serve 


202  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

for  his  noon-day  meal.  It  was  discovered  that 
instead  of  eating  it  himself  he  carried  it  to  his 
mother,  who  was  in  great  need.  This  was  typ- 
ical of  the  tender-hearted  man  as  we  find  him 
in  later  years.  He  made  his  own  way  in  the 
world  and  secured  an  education  at  Harvard 
College.  He  graduated  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen and  was  to  serve  as  Washington's  private 
secretary  when  he  was  taken  with  smallpox. 
He  afterwards  arranged  all  of  Washington's 
papers  in  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  volumes, 
which  was  no  easy  task.  He  was  librarian  for 
a  time  at  Harvard  College  but  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  became  pastor  of  the  Meeting 
House  Hill  Church.  His  parish  included 
South  Boston  and  his  work  was  very  taxing, 
but  in  addition  he  was  Overseer  of  Harvard 
College,  and  Superintendent  of  Schools.  He 
was  very  systematic  and  orderly,  an  early  riser, 
and  always  on  time.  When  he  was  sixty-six 
years  of  age  he  selected  Mr.  Nathaniel  Hall 
to  become  his  colleague.  There  are  many  fine 
tributes  paid  to  the  gentle  altruistic  nature  of 
Dr.  Harris.  It  was  said  that  his  feelings  were 
always  compassionate  and  kind.  He  did  not 
harbor  ill  will  to  a  single  soul  and  wished  to 
make  every  one  happy.  His  preaching  was 
simple  and  practical  and  he  laid  no  stress  on 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         203 

creeds  and  denominations.  Dr.  Harris's  min- 
istry stands  out  in  one  respect.  It  was  during 
that  period  that  the  church  body  unconsciously 
drifted  into  Unitarianism  without  dissension  or 
controversy.  Under  the  leadership  of  their 
broad-minded  pastor  this  great  and  funda- 
mental change  was  accomplished,  and  there 
was  no  mention  of  it  in  the  records. 

Dr.  Harris  was  very  fortunate  in  his  choice 
of  a  colleague  and  we  find  another  remarkable 
man  ready  to  take  his  place.  Nathaniel  Hall 
brings  the  history  of  the  church  down  to  com- 
paratively modern  times,  for  many  are  still  liv- 
ing who  grew  up  under  his  influence.  Born 
with  an  intensely  spiritual  nature  and  an  in- 
stinct for  preaching,  he  very  strangely  drifted 
into  business  Ufe.  He  worked  in  a  ship- 
chandlery  store  and  later  on  in  an  insurance 
office.  But  the  opportunity  came  to  him  to 
leave  a  life  which  was  distasteful  to  him  and  to 
fit  himself  for  the  work  to  which  he  was  nat- 
urally drawn.  Rev.  Andrew  Peabody,  though 
his  junior,  prepared  him  for  the  Divinity 
School  and  he  said  of  Nathaniel  Hall  that 
there  could  be  no  doubt  of  his  inward  call  for 
his  sacred  profession.  He  did  not  have  an 
academic  training  but  a  consuming  passion  for 
truth.     He  was  ordained  in  1835  and  the  Dor- 


204  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

Chester  Church  had  the  entire  benefit  of  his 
long  and  remarkable  ministry.  His  was  a 
choice  nature  and  the  influence  of  his  elevated 
ideals  was  far  reaching.  It  was  said  of  Dr. 
Hall  that  in  him  the  Lion  and  the  Lamb  were 
(happily  blended,  for  though  timid  and  modest 
under  ordinary  conditions,  he  was  inflexible 
when  it  came  to  a  matter  of  principle. 

During  his  ministry  the  slavery  agitation 
was  rampant.  There  was  no  hesitation  on  the 
part  of  Dr.  Hall  in  taking  his  stand  for  what 
he  considered  to  be  right,  and  he  spoke  out 
fearlessly  for  emancipation.  He  said  to  his 
people:  "I  go  at  your  bidding  whenever  ex- 
pressed, but  while  I  remain  I  would  speak 
plainly  and  boldly  what  I  deem  to  be  the 
truth."  Some  of  his  parishioners  were  ahen- 
ated  by  his  positive  views,  but  he  lived  to  see 
their  loyalty  restored.  Dr.  Putnam  consid- 
ered him  the  incarnation  of  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount.  His  last  utterance  was,  "I  believe  the 
good  Father  has  for  me  in  the  spheres  beyond 
a  life  work  and  a  higher  and  holier  power  of 
service."  And  still  another  wonderfully  able 
man  took  his  place.  Samuel  J.  Barrows  now 
undertook  the  pastorate  with  his  gifted  wife 
and  they  were  an  unusual  pair  of  workers.  Mr. 
Barrows  was  only  with  the  church  for    four 


CHURCHES    OP    GREATER    BOSTON         205 

years  and  his  part  in  its  history  is  therefore  a 
small  one.  But  I  cannot  refrain  from  telhng 
a  few  interesting  facts  concerning  his  early 
life. 

Samuel  J.  Barrows  started  his  extraordin- 
ary career  in  a  newspaper  establishment  at  the 
age  of  nine.  And  here,  in  the  course  of  time 
he  developed  into  a  reporter.  He  had  very 
little  other  education  until  he  became  a  man. 
He  was  brought  up  in  the  Baptist  Church  and 
passed  through  an  intense  religious  experience. 
As  a  boy  he  went  about  the  wharves  preaching 
to  the  mariners  from  the  head  of  a  barrel  and 
they  liked  his  sunny  nature  which  was  in  con- 
trast to  his  stern  religious  views.  His  weekly 
allowance  of  one  cent  always  went  into  the 
contribution  box  and  all  of  his  diversions  were 
religious  in  character. 

When  a  young  man  he  suffered  from  ill- 
health  and  went  to  a  rest  cure,  where  he  met 
his  life  companion,  who  was  then  a  very  young 
widow.  They  both  went  at  life  with  untiring 
zeal  and  enthusiasm  and  small  details  gave  way 
to  big  vital  interests.  It  was  while  working 
for  Secretary  Seward,  in  Washington,  that 
Mr.  Barrows  went  through  the  experience 
quite  common  among  our  Unitarian  ministers. 
While  browsing  in  the  National  Library,  he 


206  SKETCHES    OP    SOME    HISTORIC 

came  under  the  spell  of  William  Ellery  Chan- 
ning  and  the  old  faith  fell  away  from  him.  He 
now  desired  to  preach  Unitarianism  and  pre- 
pared himself  at  the  Harvard  Divinity 
School. 

When  the  time  came  for  him  to  settle,  at 
least  five  churches  gave  him  a  call,  but  his 
choice  fell  upon  the  Dorchester  Church  and  in 
Dorchester  he  made  his  home  for  many  years. 
Here  he  had  a  parish  of  three  hundred  families 
and  during  the  first  year  he  made  over  one 
thousand  calls,  for  he  did  not  like  to  preach  to 
people  unless  he  knew  them.  He  considered 
it  a  rare  parish  and  the  four  years  were  very 
happy  ones.  The  church  seemed  to  the  Bar- 
rows, when  they  entered  it,  the  desired  cul- 
mination of  their  life  work  and  the  end 
and  aim  of  all  their  period  of  preparation. 
But  they  were  called  to  a  larger  sphere,  and  it 
was  with  regret  that  they  gave  up  what  had 
proved  to  be  a  thoroughly  congenial  field  of 
labor.  Mr.  Barrows'  exceptional  qualifica- 
tions for  newspaper  work  and  the  promise  of 
his  wife's  able  assistance  induced  him  to  accept 
the  position  as  editor  of  the  Christian  Reg- 
ister. But  there  were  still  fine  men  to  follow. 
The  names  and  work  of  Christopher  Eliot  and 
Eugene  Shippen  are  familiar  to  you  all.    The 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         207 

present  minister,  Mr.  Roger  Forbes,  is  the  son 
of  Rev.  John  P.  Forbes,  of  Brooklyn.  His 
first  parish  was  at  Dedham  and  it  was  a  hard 
blow  to  his  people  there  when  he  left  and  went 
to  Dorchester.  But  here  he  has  found  a 
broader  field  of  usefulness  and  the  loyalty  of 
his  parishioners  indicates  that  he  is  no  un- 
worthy successor  of  those  who  have  gone 
before. 

In  presenting  this  subject  to  the  Alliance 
it  seems  very  suitable  that  Mrs.  Fifield,  who 
was  prominently  connected  with  the  church 
for  many  years,  should  be  mentioned.  A 
woman  of  great  energy  and  initiative  she  was 
most  efficient  in  carrying  out  whatever  chiu^ch 
work  there  was  to  be  done.  She  was  secre- 
tary of  the  National  AUiance  almost  from  its 
inception  and  she  worked  for  it  with  great  en- 
thusiasm. At  one  time  she  was  sent  out  west 
to  bring  about  a  greater  spirit  of  co-operation 
between  the  Alliances  of  the  Atlantic  and  the 
Pacific  coasts.  She  and  her  work  are  un- 
doubtedly well  known  to  most  of  you  and 
probably  many  have  read  her  interesting  his- 
tory of  the  Women's  Alliance,  which  has  re- 
cently been  pubhshed. 

The  Meeting  House  Hill  Church  has  been 
the  parent  of  many  other  movements.    Besides 


208  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

the  Windsor  colony  there  was  another  which 
eventually  settled  the  town  of  Medway  in 
South  Carolina.  Nearly  all  the  first  members 
of  the  Second  Church  of  Boston  emanated 
from  Dorchester,  and  there  was  hardly  a 
church  established  in  eastern  Massachusetts 
which  was  not  made  up  in  part  from  this 
parish. 

In  1806  the  church  became  so  large  that  it 
divided  and  the  new  society  which  was  called 
the  Second  Church  of  Dorchester  removed  to 
Codman  Square.  There  it  extended  and 
spread  its  influence  abroad  so  that  it  is  impos- 
sible to  estimate  the  full  value  of  its  great 
work. 

In  this  new  country,  where  history  is  made 
and  remade  in  a  day  and  where  changes  are 
constant  and  sweeping,  it  is  indeed  impressive 
to  find  a  center  of  religious  life  which  has  been 
a  steady  active  force  in  the  conmaunity  during 
a  period  of  nearly  three  centuries. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         209 


BULFINCH    I^LACE    CHURCH 

The  history  of  Bulfinch  Place  Church  and 
the  Howard  Sunday  School  really  begins  with 
the  founding  of  the  Ministry-at-Large  in  the 
city  of  Boston  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Tuckerman 
in  1826.  A  brief  account  of  this  work  is  as 
follows: 

In  1826  Boston  was  a  city  of  about  65,000 
inhabitants.  In  the  city  there  were  very  many 
poor  and  neglected  famihes,  having  no  church 
connections,  no  pastoral  care.  Children  were 
running  wild  in  the  streets,  not  going  regular- 
ly to  school,  becoming  idle  and  vicious;  many 
of  the  parents  were  intemperate  and  worked 
irregularly,  begging  for  help.  A  few  "mis- 
sionaries" were  at  work,  but  there  were  few 
churches  where  the  poor  could  be  made  to  feel 
at  home.  There  was  much  almsgiving,  but 
little  that  could  be  called  wise.  It  was  pat- 
ronizing, perhaps  generous,  but  it  was  pauper- 
izing. It  did  not  deal  with  the  cause,  but  with 
immediate  and  superficial  "relief."  It  did  not 
come  into  close  sympathy  and  friendliness  with 
those  whom  it  would  serve.  It  was  very  evi- 
dent that  the  churches  were  oblivious  to  their 
duties,  and  in  consequence  several  thousand 


210  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

people  were  without  training  or  instruction  in 
the  Christian  virtues  and  rehgion. 

Among  the  first  to  appreciate  this  sad  situ- 
ation and  to  take  active  steps  to  change  it  was 
a  band  of  young  Unitarian  laymen,  who  in 
1822  (four  years  before  Dr.  Tuckerman  came 
to  Boston)  became  deeply  impressed  with  the 
condition  of  things,  and  formed  themselves 
into  an  "Association  for  Rehgious  Improve- 
ment."    In  1823  they  succeeded  in  estabUsh- 
ing  the  "Hancock  Sunday  School,"  the  second 
school  to  be  founded  in  Boston  by  Unitarians. 
It  had  good  success,  and  later  was  transferred 
to  the  Second  Church.     But  more  important 
than  the  establishment  of  the  hoped-for  Sun- 
day school  was  the  growth  of  this  association 
of  young  Unitarian  men!    For  thirteen  years 
it   met   regularly   once   a   week   for   serious 
thought  and  discussion.     Back  of  this  httle 
association  stood  Henry  Ware,  Jr.,  the  saintly 
young  minister  of  the  Second  Church  and  pas- 
tor of  several  of  the  members  of  the  associa- 
tion.    He  took  a  strong  interest  in  the  work 
and  volunteered  "to  preach  on  Sunday  even- 
ings to  the  poor  and  unchurched  if  a  suitable 
place  could  be  obtained." 

Services  were  held  in  Spring  Street,  Charter 
Street,  Hatter's  Square  and  Pitts  Court,  and 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         211 

sometimes  in  two  or  three  of  these  places  on 
the  same  evening.  The  association  of  young 
laymen  gave  its  unwearying  assistance  in  all 
this,  and  began  to  talk  of  engaging  a  perma- 
nent minister,  as  it  was  often  difficult  to  secure 
volunteers.  Mr.  Ware's  health  was  failing, 
and  the  other  ministers  were  busy. 

On  the  records  of  the  association  for  their 
meeting  of  October  11,  1826,  the  name  of 
Joseph  Tuckerman  appears  for  the  first  time 
as  being  proposed  for  membership.  On  Octo- 
ber 22,  he  was  admitted  by  a  unanimous  vote, 
and  on  December  3,  1826,  we  find  the  follow- 
ing minute  by  the  secretary: 

"The  Lectures  under  the  conduct  of  the  As- 
sociation commenced  this  evening  at  6% 
o'clock  at  Smith's  Circular  Building,  cor.  Mer- 
rimack and  Portland  Streets.  It  was  fully 
attended  by  those  for  whom  it  was  intended. 

The  services  were  of  the  first  order.  Rev. 
Dr.  Tuckerman  officiated." 

On  Sunday,  December  10,  seven  teachers  of 
the  Hancock  Sunday  School  met  three  schol- 
ars in  the  same  room  and  there  organized  what 
soon  was  called  the  Howard  Sunday  School. 

The  ministry-at-large  was  an  established 
fact  from  December  3,  1826.  For  two  years 
the  work  went  on  in  that  old  circular  building ; 


212  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

then  for  eight  years  it  was  continued  in  Friend 
Street  Chapel,  built  by  the  Association,  and 
for  thirty-four  years  in  Pitts  Street,  and  it  has 
continued  in  the  present  church,  in  Bulfinch 
Place,  since  1870. 

A  few  words  now  about  Joseph  Tucker- 
man,  the  founder  of  this  Ministry-at-Large. 
Rev.  S.  H.  Winkley,  his  successor,  said  of 
him:  "To  understand  the  Tuckerman  minis- 
try, we  must  understand  Tuckerman  himself. 
He  was  not  a  theologian  as  such.  He  was  not 
a  ritualist  as  such.  He  cared  but  very  little 
about  'mere  morality'  as  such.  But  he  loved. 
He  did  not  stop  to  see  whether  his  love  was 
returned;  he  only  asked,  *How  can  I  bless 
you?'  He  loved  the  ministry-at-large.  Dur- 
ing the  twenty-five  years  of  his  ministry  in 
Chelsea  (1801-1826),  that  spirit  inspired  him. 
Every  one  in  the  place  was  his  friend,  and  he 
was  the  friend  of  every  one,  the  Unitarian  and 
the  Trinitarian,  the  good  man  and  the  bad 
man,  the  rich  and  the  poor;  they  were  all  his 
Father's  children,  and  all  his  brothers  and  sis- 
ters. It  was  in  that  spirit  that  he  started  the 
ministry-at-large  in  Boston,  which  is  the  min- 
istry without  limits,  without  regard  to  sectari- 
anism, without  regard  to  wealth  or  poverty." 

Dr.  Tuckerman's  ministry  in  Boston  was 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         213 

only  for  fourteen  years,  and  the  last  six  years 
of  that  time  he  was  in  wretched  health,  and  yet 
in  that  short  time  what  vast  and  far-reaching 
work  he  did! 

It  is  indeed  quahty  and  not  quantity  that 
counts  in  a  man's  work.  It  is  well  to  note  the 
"modernness"  of  his  ideas.  He  anticipated 
most  remarkably  all  the  principles  of  modern 
scientific  charity.  He  discussed  many  of  the 
problems  which  are  now  confronting  us,  and 
offered  wise  and  prophetic  solutions.  Dr. 
Tuckerman  just  before  his  death  said  "that  the 
problem  of  the  future  would  be  the  problem  of 
the  city,  and  the  hope  of  the  future  would  be 
met  in  the  redeeming  of  the  cities."  Let  us 
not  forget,  however,  that  the  work  nearest  to 
Dr.  Tuckerman's  heart  was  the  work  of  the 
minister,  "the  relation  of  his  philanthropic 
service  to  religion."  No  one  ever  saw  more 
clearly  than  he  "that  the  Ufe  that  has  the  faith 
is  the  life  that  does  the  work."  "Show  me 
your  faith  without  your  works  and  I  will  show 
you  my  faith  by  my  works."  It  was  to  this 
kind  of  faith  that  the  hfe  of  Joseph  Tucker- 
man was  dedicated. 

On  the  memorial  tablet  in  Bulfinch  Place 
Church  are  inscribed  the  following  lines: 


214  SKETCHES    OP    SOME    HISTORIC 

A  Wise  Student  of  Social  Problems 

A  Farseeing  Prophet  of  Beneficent  Reforms 

A  Pioneer  in  Scientific  Philanthropy 

An  Efficient,  Public- Spirited  Citizen 

His  Best  Monument  is  the  Ministry-at-Large 

His  Most  Appropriate  Title,  the  Friend  of 

the  Poor 

Dr.  Tuckerman  was  followed  in  the  work  of 
the  Ministry-at-Large  by  Charles  Barnard, 
Frederick  T.  Gray,  Cyrus  A.  Bartol,  Robert 
Waterston,  and  Andrew  Bigelow,  until  the 
year  1846,  when  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Winkley, 
just  graduated  from  the  Harvard  Divinity 
School,  accepted  the  call  to  the  Ministry-at- 
Large,  and  was  given  charge  of  Pitts  Street 
Chapel.  He  entered  the  work  with  joy,  and 
gave  the  rest  of  his  life  to  it,  sixty-five  years 
of  devoted,  consecrated  work  among  the  peo- 
ple of  the  West  End  and  Greater  Boston. 
For  fifty  years  he  was  the  active  minister,  for 
fifteen  the  Pastor  Emeritus.  His  successor  in 
the  work,  Rev.  Christopher  R.  Eliot,  says  of 
him:  "He  was  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  by 
calling  and  choice,  but  first  of  all  and  always 
a  man;  a  preacher  and  teacher,  but  first  of  all 
a  friend;  a  servant  of  God,  obedient  and  duti- 
ful, but  first  of  all  a  son,  loyal,  loving  and  true. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         215 

He  served  God  by  serving  His  kingdom,  and 
the  kingdom  by  serving  men.  It  was  his  de- 
light to  minister  by  word  and  deed.  He  was 
preeminently  a  pastor,  looking  after  the  spir- 
itual and  material  interests  of  his  flock.  He 
was  interested  in  community  problems,  but  his 
best  work  was  in  influencing  individuals.  His 
Sunday-school  pupils  were  his  children;  his 
congregation  was  his  family;  his  parishioners 
far  and  wide  his  dearest  friends.  Successful 
in  the  pulpit,  where  his  sermons  were  often 
like  heart-to-heart  talks,  he  always  felt  his  best 
work  was  in  the  homes  of  his  people,  or  in  his 
little  *bandbox'  of  a  study,  where  by  appoint- 
ment he  would  meet  them  individually  and 
talk  to  them  face  to  face.  It  might  be  for  a 
single  visit,  or  it  might  be  once  a  week,  for 
months.  The  sinful,  sick  and  sorrowing  came 
to  that  little  room  and  were  helped  and  healed 
and  inspired  for  a  renewed  life." 

Mr.  Winkley  was  born  in  Portsmouth, 
N.  H.,  of  a  rather  strict  orthodox  family. 
When  only  seven  he  showed  a  deep  interest  in 
religious  matters,  at  that  early  age  attending 
"Prayer  Meetings"  and  distributing  tracts  in 
drinking  saloons. 

He  tried  to  be  "converted"  in  the  orthodox 
way,  attending  church  regularly  and  revival 


216  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

meetings  whenever  they  were  held.  But  it 
was  of  no  use ;  so  he  finally  gave  it  up,  resolv- 
ing to  acknowledge  his  weakness  and  to  con- 
secrate himself  to  the  service  of  God  and  his 
children  and  to  offer  himself  to  the  church. 
From  this  early  age,  twelve,  the  boy's  interest 
in  rehgious  services  broadened  and  deepened. 
He  went  into  business  in  both  Boston  and 
Providence  for  nine  years,  and  at  the  same 
time  was  reading  and  thinking  and  working  in 
church  and  Sunday  school.  His  study  of  the 
New  Testament  had  made  him  a  Unitarian, 
and  this  decision  practically  excluded  him  from 
orthodox  circles.  He  then  entered  the  Har- 
vard Divinity  School,  and  graduated  in  the 
same  class  with  O.  B.  Frothingham,  Samuel 
Johnson  and  Samuel  Longfellow. 

The  story  of  Mr.  Winkley's  work  at  Pitts 
Street  and  Bulfinch  Place  is  too  long  to  tell 
here  in  full.  He  was  unlike  most  ministers  of 
that  time,  and  was  often  called  unconvention- 
al, but  he  was  very  human  and  very  approach- 
able. Children  and  grown  people  quickly 
learned  to  love  and  trust  him.  As  a  minister, 
he  knew  no  dividing  lines  between  rich  and 
poor,  learned  or  ignorant,  good  and  bad.  All 
were  children  of  God,  and  wherever  he  was 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         217 

needed  he  would  go.  He  was  a  true  and  wor- 
thy successor  of  Dr.  Tuckerman. 

A  few  years  before  his  death  he  said  to  a 
friend:  "There  is  nothing  so  satisfying  as  serv- 
ice; love  is  love  however  you  spell  it.  Living 
for  others  is  heaven.  I  don't  care  about  hav- 
ing my  name  in  a  book,  but  show  me  how  I  can 
be  of  greater  service  to  men  and  I'm  ready  for 
you."  No  wonder  people  loved  him  and  fol- 
lowed him!  No  wonder  his  church  and  Sunday 
school  flourished;  no  wonder  he  became  in  those 
good  old  days  "Bishop"  of  a  parish  covering 
not  only  the  West  End,  but  reaching  out  into 
twenty-eight  surrounding  towns! 

He  was  made  Superintendent  of  the  How- 
ard Sunday  School  in  1856,  and  this  work  was 
particularly  dear  to  him.  For  years  it  had  two 
sessions  every  Sunday,  and  at  one  time  num- 
bered over  350  pupils.  Mr.  Winkley  had  a 
wonderful  gift  for  inspiring  his  teachers  and 
training  them  to  consecrated  service.  He  was 
a  born  teacher  himself,  and  his  method  was  that 
of  asking  questions,  in  this  way  stimulating  the 
teacher's  own  thought.  He  was  known  among 
his  brother  ministers  as  the  "Interrogator." 
He  always  had  some  young  teachers  in  the 
Sunday  school,  and  kept  them  up  to  the  lessons 
they  were  to  teach  by  his  Teachers'  Meetings, 


218  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

two  of  which  he  held  every  week.  Mr.  Wink- 
ley  prepared  a  series  of  lesson  books  on  the 
Bible  and  "practical  piety,"  and  several  of 
them  were  published  in  many  editions  by  the 
Sunday  School  Society.  Many  will  remember 
with  gratitude  the  help  received  from  those 
little  books,  the  more  popular  of  which  were 
"The  Son  of  Man,"  "A  Man's  True  jLif e,"  and 
"The  Higher  Life." 

We  cannot  speak  fully  of  Mr.  Winkley's 
work  without  also  speaking  of  his  much  loved 
assistant  and  life-long  friend,  Miss  Frances  S. 
Merrill,  "Aunt  Fanny,"  as  she  was  called  for 
years  by  the  young  people  of  the  Chapel.  Uni- 
tarians in  this  part  of  the  country  know  her  as 
the  one  who  suggested  the  idea  of  the  "Chil- 
dren's Mission  to  Children,"  and  inspired  her 
father  and  others  to  have  this  friendly  plan 
carried  out.  Mr.  Merrill  was  for  many  years  a 
teacher  in  the  Howard  Sunday  School  in  Pitts 
Street,  and  every  Sunday  morning  he  walked 
there  from  his  home  in  the  South  End  for  the 
nine  o'clock  session  of  the  school,  his  little 
daughter  Fanny  tightly  clasping  his  hand. 
They  saw  many  poor  and  neglected  children  on 
their  way,  and  the  little  girl's  heart  was  wrung 
with  pain,  and  she  began  to  plan  what  she  as  a 
little  girl  of  ten  years  could  do  for  their  relief. 


CHURCHES    OP    GREATER    BOSTON         219 

One  morning  as  they  walked  along  she  said  to 
her  father,  "Can't  we  children,  who  have  homes 
and  fathers  and  mothers,  do  something  for  the 
children  who  have  not  these  things,  and  no  one 
to  teach  them  ?  Can't  we  children  give  our  pen- 
nies and  hire  some  one  to  teach  them?"  Her 
father  and  others  caught  the  idea,  and  the 
Children's  Mission  was  founded.  The  love  in 
the  heart  of  this  little  girl  grew  and  broadened 
and  strengthened  under  her  beautiful  home  in- 
fluences and  under  the  guiding  and  teaching  of 
her  much  loved  friend,  Mr.  Winkley,  until 
when  she  was  but  eighteen  years  of  age  she  be- 
came one  of  the  missionaries  of  the  Benevolent 
Fraternity  and  Mr.  Winkley's  especial  assist- 
ant. To  the  day  of  her  death,  December  1, 
1897,  she  devoted  herself  to  this  work,  in  Pitts 
Street  Chapel  until  1870,  and  after  that  in 
Bulfinch  Place  Chapel.  For  all  these  long 
years  the  two  friends  worked  together,  consult- 
ing, planning,  helping,  and  together  calling  on 
all  the  members  of  the  church  and  the  Sunday 
school.  As  "Chapel  Mother,"  she  was  widely 
known,  and  many  were  the  motherless  girls  she 
took  to  her  heart  and  helped  into  the  right  way 
of  living. 

The  Ministry-at-Large  in  Boston  today  is 
represented  by  the  various  activities,  religious 


220  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

and  philanthropic,  of  the  Benevolent  Frater- 
nity of  Churches,  whose  centers  of  work  are  the 
Theodore  Parker  Memorial,  the  North  End 
Union,  Channing  Church,  and  Bulfinch  Place 
Church.  This  last  stands  in  a  peculiar  sense  in 
the  direct  line  of  descent  from  the  work  of  Dr. 
Joseph  Tuckerman.  If  any  of  you  have 
read  Mr.  Robert  Wood's  book,  "Americans  in 
Process,"  you  will  understand  what  I  mean 
when  I  say  that  the  character  of  the  old  West 
End  of  Boston  has  in  the  last  twenty-five  years 
undergone  a  great  change.  The  rich  old-time 
dwellers  on  the  northern  slope  of  Beacon  Hill 
have  betaken  themselves  to  the  Back  Bay  or  to 
Brookline,  and  those  of  smaller  incomes  have 
pushed  out  largely  into  the  northern  suburbs  of 
the  city,  Chelsea,  Everett,  Medford,  Somer- 
ville,  and  Maiden.  The  stately  houses  of  those 
early  days  have  become  boarding  or  lodging 
houses  and  the  more  modest  homes  are  rapidly 
being  made  into  tenements.  This  change 
means  that  the  work  of  Bulfinch  Place  Church, 
like  that  of  all  other  West  End  churches,  is 
changing,  too.  A  goodly  number  of  our  work- 
ers and  those  who  attend  church  and  Sunday 
school  come  in  from  the  suburbs.  At  the  same 
time  we  gather  in  for  Sunday  services,  lectures, 
and  clubs  a  great  many  who  live  close  to  us. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         221 

Rev.  Edward  A.  Horton  has  said:  "The 
Ministry-at-Large  is  on  a  four-square  princi- 
ple. It  relates  itself  to  education,  philan- 
thropy, citizenship,  and  religion."  Bulfinch 
Place  Church,  through  its  various  workers,  is 
endeavoring  at  the  present  time  to  carry  out 
this  ideal. 


REV.  AND  MRS.  ELIOT'S  SERVICES 

The  ministry  of  Rev.  Christopher  R.  Eliot 
began  September  1,  1894,  when  he  came  as  as- 
sistant to  Mr.  Winkley.  This  arrangement 
continued  for  two  years;  then  Mr.  Winkley, 
having  completed  fifty  years  of  service,  re- 
signed and  became  pastor-emeritus.  Mr. 
Eliot's  ministry  has  been  marked  by  the  same 
spirit  of  Christian  service  as  was  his  predeces- 
sor's. Through  him  there  has  been  a  reaching 
out,  through  the  formation  of  new  religious 
organizations,  which  has  related  our  church 
more  vitally  to  other  churches  and  causes. 

Through  Mrs.  Eliot  the  Women's  Alliance 
was  organized  to  connect  our  women  with  the 
work  of  the  Unitarian  denomination  locally 
and  nationally,  and  this  has  made  possible  the 
part  done  by  our  church  in  the  hospitality  of 
Anniversary  Week. 


222  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

At  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Eliot,  Lend-a- 
Hand  Clubs  were  formed  with  the  idea  of 
training  the  children  and  young  people  in  un- 
selfish helpfulness. 

Two  events  stand  out  in  the  ministry  of  Mr. 
Eliot  as  peculiarly  significant:  first,  the  cele- 
bration of  the  seventy-fifth  anniversary  of  the 
Ministry-at-Large,  December  8,  1901,  and  of 
the  Howard  Sunday  School  on  March  12, 
1902;  and  second,  the  remodelling  of  the 
church  building  in  the  summer  of  1904.  These 
events  were  of  great  interest  and  showed  a 
loyalty  to  the  spirit  and  fundamental  princi- 
ples of  the  past,  united  to  a  readiness  to  use 
modern  methods  to  meet  the  new  needs  of  the 
present  day. 

On  October  29,  1914,  the  parish  of  Bulfinch 
Place  Church  gave  a  reception  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Eliot  in  recognition  of  their  twenty  years  of 
association  with  the  church.  It  was  a  hapjjy 
occasion,  bringing  together,  in  addition  to  the 
regular  congregation,  many  old  friends  of  the 
church  and  also  many  personal  friends  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Eliot.  Rev.  James  De  Normandie, 
the  senior  minister  among  Boston  Unitarians 
and  a  warm  personal  friend  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Eliot,  expressed  the  greetings  and  congratula- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         223 

tions  which  filled  the  hearts  of  many  friends 
present  and  absent. 

Mr.  Eliot's  years  of  service  are  clearly  ex- 
pressed in  the  motto  of  the  parish  paper,  "Our 
Work":  "Not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to 
minister.'*  Through  his  leadership  our  church 
has  become  a  center  of  good  works,  and  a  spirit 
of  peace  and  goodwill  abides  in  the  hearts  of 
his  people. 


224  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

FIRST    PARISH    AND    FIRST 
CHURCH  IN  CAMBRIDGE 

The  spirit  of  Puritanism  is  as  old  as  the 
truth  and  manliness  of  England.  Protestant- 
ism in  the  Massachusetts  Colony  represents  the 
period  when  the  Puritan  party  in  the  Church  of 
England,  having  loyally  held  its  place  through 
three  hostile  reigns,  was  driven  at  last  from  its 
allegiance.  Those  who  stayed  in  the  Church  of 
England,  unwilling  to  become  Separatists, 
called  Puritans  in  derision,  finally  were  forced 
to  go  to  the  western  world.  They  were  of  that 
brotherhood  of  men,  who  by  force  of  social 
consideration,  as  well  as  of  intelligence  and 
resolute  patriotism,  moulded  the  public  opinion 
and  action  of  England,  in  the  first  half  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  The  Puritan  claimed  that 
obedience  toward  God  set  bounds  to  the  au- 
thority of  men.  It  was  the  independence  of 
the  planet  which  claims  a  large  orbit,  yet  never 
dreams  of  breaking  from  the  central  sun. 
During  the  entire  reign  of  Elizabeth,  the  re- 
form party  constituted  quite  half  the  clergy 
within  the  church.  In  1562,  the  proposal  to  set 
aside  surplices,  to  give  up  kneeling  in  prayer, 
the  use  of  organs,  and  the  sign  of  the  cross  at 
baptism  was  lost  by  a  vote  of  fifty-eight  to 


CHURCHES    OF    G.REATER    BOSTON         226 

fifty-nine,  the  deacons  and  arch-deacons  being 
among  the  minority.  In  James  I's  reign 
nearly  one  thousand  Enghsh  clergy  petitioned 
extensive  changes  in  the  service,  which  were 
prevented  by  the  King's  intolerance.  John 
Cotton  preached  twenty  years  as  an  avowed 
Puritan  in  Boston,  England,  discontinuing 
the  liturgy  and  vestments,  and  denying  the  au- 
thority of  the  bishops.  Yet  he  declared  that 
he  was  no  Brownist,  and  called  the  Independ- 
ent too  straight.  Governor  Winthrop  said: 
"We  esteem  it  an  honor  to  call  the  Church  of 
England  our  dear  mother,"  and  spoke  in 
strong  disapproval  of  those  who  in  England 
went  under  the  name  of  Independents.  The 
men  of  Plymouth,  however,  separated  from 
the  Church  of  England  in  1561,  were  in 
Scrooby  until  1606,  and  twelve  years  in  Hol- 
land. For  nine  years  they  were  the  only 
Protestant  church  in  the  western  world,  un- 
less there  were  forsaken  remains  of  ecclesias- 
tical origin  in  Virginia.  Thomas  Shepard  was 
a  lecturer  in  the  Church  of  England  until  he 
took  up  his  pastorate  here,  and  at  this  time 
made  his  first  open  renunciation  of  Episco- 
pacy. 

This  hasty  review  of  the  growth  of  the  spirit 
of  religious  freedom  brings  us  to  the  time  when 


226  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

the  Company  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  coming 
from  England  with  its  Governor  and  its  char- 
ter, brought  with  it  in  the  course  of  the  first 
year  more  than  one  thousand  persons,  and  be- 
fore ten  years  had  passed  more  than  twenty 
thousand  had  come  to  stay.  At  first  it  was 
not  intended  to  make  Boston  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment, because  a  position  further  inland 
.would  be  more  easily  defensible  from  the  war- 
ships of  King  Charles.  The  colonists  "rather 
made  choice  to  enter  further  among  the  In- 
dians than  hazard  the  fury  of  mahgnant  ad- 
versaries, who,  in  a  rage,  might  pursue  them, 
— and  therefore  chose  a  place  situate  on 
Charles  River,  between  Charlestowne  and 
Watertowne,  where  they  erected  a  town  called 
Newtowne."  It  was  agreed  that  the  governor, 
deputy  governor,  and  nearly  all  the  assistants 
should  build  their  houses  here  during  the 
following  year,  and  that  all  the  ordnance 
and  munition  should  be  removed  hither.  This 
agreement  was  not  carried  out,  save  by  Deputy 
Governor  Thomas  Dudley  and  his  son-in-law. 
Governor  Winthrop  and  the  members  of 
his  council  never  came  to  dwell  here,  and 
the  intention  of  making  it  the  seat  of 
government  was  gradually  abandoned.  Be- 
cause of  the  original  intention,  lines  of  f ortifi- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         227 

cation  were  drawn,  and  the  streets  arranged  at 
right  angles.  The  first  settlement  was  com- 
prised between  Harvard  Square  and  the  river, 
and  from  Holyoke  Street  on  the  east  to  Brat- 
tle Square  on  the  west.  The  northern  frontier. 
Harvard  Street,  later  Massachusetts  Avenue, 
was  called  Braintree  Street.  Behind  the  six 
houses  on  Braintree  Street  was  the  ancient 
forest.  Through  this  forest  ran  the  trail  or 
path  from  Charlestown  to  Watertown,  nearly 
coinciding  with  the  crooked  line  Kirkland, 
Mason,  Brattle,  Elmwood  and  Mt.  Auburn 
Streets.  This  was  the  first  highway  from  the 
seaboard  into  the  inland  country.  The  pal- 
isaded wall  with  its  ditch,  for  defense  against 
Indians  and  wolves,  started  at  Windmill  Hill, 
by  the  present  site  of  Ash  Street,  and  ran 
along  the  northern  side  of  the  present  Com- 
mon into  what  is  now  Jarvis  field,  and  per- 
haps beyond.  The  Common  grazing-land  ex- 
tended beyond  the  palisade  as  far  as  Linnaean 
Street.  By  1635,  there  were  sixty-four  house- 
lots  within  the  town,  and  before  the  end  of  the 
year  there  were  at  least  eighty-five  houses  in 
the  new  town.  The  only  communication  with 
Boston  was  by  ferry.  The  place  of  execution 
was  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  Common.  Here 
in  1755  an  old  negro  woman  was  burned  alive 


228  SKETCHES    OP    SOME    HISTORIC 

for  the  murder  of  her  master. — Into  this  prim- 
itive settlement  came  those  who  had  aban- 
doned ease  and  honors  at  home  to  hve  serious 
lives  in  the  wilderness,  and  to  found  a  church 
without  a  bishop,  and  a  state  without  a  king. 
Compared  to  the  homes  of  the  present  day, 
their  homes,  many  of  them,  were  little  more 
than  shanties  or  cabins.  They  had  no  roads 
or  bridges,  no  mails,  communication  was  diffi- 
cult, they  worked  sixteen  hours  a  day,  and  for 
recreation  laid  stone- walls. 

In  1632  the  Braintree  company  of  Essex, 
England,  which  had  begim  to  sit  down  at  Mt. 
Wollaston,  removed  here,  and  they  were  fol- 
lowed in  1633  by  Thomas  Hooker,  John  Cot- 
ton and  Samuel  Stone.  The  voyage  over  was 
enlivened  by  three  sermons  almost  every  day. 
The  people  said  that  their  three  great  neces- 
sities would  be  supplied,  with  Cotton  for  their 
clothing,  Hooker  for  their  fishing,  and  Stone 
for  their  building.  With  fasting  and  prayer, 
a  church  was  organized,  and  Mr.  Hooker  was 
chosen  pastor,  and  Mr.  Stone  teacher.  The 
teacher  was  fully  trained  to  expound  Scrip- 
ture, either  before  or  after  the  sermon.  Some- 
times the  pastor  preached  in  the  morning,  and 
the  teacher  in  the  afternoon.  The  offices 
were  gradually  blended.     The  meeting-house 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         229 

stood  on  the  west  side  of  Dunster  Street,  a 
little  south  of  Mt.  Auburn  Street,  and  it  is 
particularly  recorded  that  it  had  a  bell  upon 
it. 

Soon  the  people  of  Newtown  complained  that 
they  hadn't  room  enough.  Whether  that  was 
the  real  reason,  or  whether  certain  personal 
jealousies  existed  between  the  leading  men  of 
Newtown  and  Boston,  has  never  been  proved. 
It  was  a  difficult  matter  to  settle,  and  the 
Court  agreed  to  lay  the  question  before  the 
Lord.  A  fast  day  was  kept  in  all  the  congre- 
gations. The  question  temporarily  settled, 
soon  arose  again,  and  in  the  summer  of  1636 
a  majority  of  the  members  of  Mr.  Hooker's 
church  and  congregation,  one  hundred  in 
number,  made  their  journey  through  the  track- 
less wilderness,  milking  their  cows  as  they 
went — with  Mrs.  Hooker  in  feeble  health,  car- 
ried in  a  horse-litter — to  New-town,  a  little 
later  called  Hartford,  Connecticut,  so  called 
from  Mr.  Stone's  birthplace.  Eleven  families 
remained.  The  dwelling-houses  left  vacant 
by  Hooker's  company  were  bought  by  those 
more  recently  come  from  England. 

On  the  fifth  of  November,  1605,  the  day 
that  the  plot  to  blow  up  Parliament  was  dis- 
covered, there  was  born  in  Towcester,  North- 


280  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

amptonshire,  a  child  who  was  named  Thomas, 
after  the  doubting  disciple,  because  the  father 
thought  his  son  would  hardly  believe  that  "ever 
any  such  wickedness  should  be  attempted  by 
men  against  so  religious  and  good  a  Parlia- 
ment." His  early  life  was  much  tormented 
by  circumstances  in  his  home,  and  by  his  own 
contrary  inclinations.  His  later  life,  until  he 
came  to  America,  was  certainly  tormented  by 
his  religious  experiences.  Thomas  Shepard 
was  a  pensioner  at  Emmanuel  College,  was 
studious,  and  left  with  a  high  reputation  for 
scholarship.  The  Puritans  raised  a  fund  for 
the  appointment  of  lecturers  for  those  parts 
of  the  country  which  were  without  a  proper 
ministry.  It  was  while  holding  such  an  office 
that  Bishop  Laud  summoned  Shepard  to 
answer  for  his  preaching.  He  stood  on  the 
original  Puritan  ground,  loving  the  estab- 
lished church,  reluctant  to  leave  it,  willing  to 
conform  to  its  rules  and  customs  in  many 
things,  unwiUing  to  conform  in  others.  Bishop 
Laud  "looked  as  though  blood  would  have 
gushed  out  of  his  face,  and  did  shake  as  if  he 
had  been  haunted  with  an  ague-fit."  He  sen- 
tenced him  thus,  "I  charge  you,  that  you 
neither  preach,  read,  marry,  bury,  or  exercise 
any  ministerial  functions  in  any  part  of  my 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         231 

diocese ;  for  if  you  do,  and  I  hear  of  it,  I'll  be 
upon  your  back,  and  follow  you  wherever  you 
go,  in  any  part  of  this  kingdom,  and  so  ever- 
lastingly disable  you."  It  was  bishops  on  the 
backs  of  Puritans  that  gave  to  us  this  Com- 
monwealth and  nation,  and  the  rage  of  Laud 
gave  this  church  its  first  minister.  Shepard 
became  chaplain  in  the  family  of  Sir  Richard 
Darley,  and  married  a  kinswoman  of  the 
knight.  He  preached  up  and  down  the 
country.  There  was  no  rest  for  him.  He 
was  finally  asked  to  come  over  to  New  Eng- 
land. He  was  willing  to  stay  and  suffer  if  that 
was  best,  but  he  said,  "My  dear  wife  did  much 
long  to  see  me  settled  there  in  peace,  and  so 
put  me  on  to  it."  They  came  down  from  the 
north  "in  a  disguised  manner,"  then  started 
on  the  voyage.  They  were  set  back  on  shore 
after  a  dangerous  storm,  and  their  only  child 
died.  The  father  did  not  dare  to  be  present 
at  the  funeral,  lest  the  officers  of  the  church 
should  seize  him.  He  spent  a  winter  out  of 
sight  of  his  enemies.  In  the  summer  of  1635, 
with  another  son,  born  that  winter,  whose 
birth  was  kept  secret,  he  came  to  America, 
under  the  name  of  his  brother.  He  arrived 
just  as  a  large  part  of  the  congregation  here 
was  preparing  to  go  to  Hartford. 


232  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

On  the  first  of  February  O.  S.,  1636,  this 
church  was  organized.  Gov.  Winthrop  in  his 
journal  describes  the  ceremony.  "Mr.  Shep- 
ard,  a  godly  minister,  came  lately  out  of  Eng- 
land, and  divers  other  good  Christians,  intend- 
ing to  raise  a  church  body,  came  and  acquaint- 
ed the  magistrates  therewith,  who  gave  their 
approbation.  They  also  sent  to  all  the  neigh- 
boring churches  for  their  elders  to  give  their 
assistance  at  a  certain  day  at  Newtown.  Ac- 
cordingly at  this  day,  there  met  a  great  as- 
sembly, where  the  proceeding  was  as  fol- 
loweth'* — etc.  The  form  of  their  covenant 
has  not  been  preserved.  It  was  probably  the 
same  as  that  of  the  first  church  in  Boston,  and 
was  thought  to  have  been  written  by  Gov. 
Winthrop. 

For  years  the  church  and  town  were  one, 
but  the  church  was  that  one.  The  old  chron- 
icles always  speak  of  this  church  and  town. 
The  church  was  always  spoken  of  as  the  meet- 
ing-house, except  later  when  Christ  Church 
was  established.  The  building  had  a  log 
frame,  with  a  roof  of  slate  or  boards.  The 
pews  were  square  with  seats  on  hinges,  which 
were  raised  to  make  standing-room  during 
prayer.  In  front  of  the  desk  were  seats  for 
the     deacon    and    elders,    and     there     were 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         233 

rows  of  benches  for  men  on  one  side,  and 
women  on  the  other.  The  meeting-house  was 
the  town-house,  used  on  six  days  for  secular 
affairs,  on  the  seventh  for  worship.  Church 
members  were  the  only  voters. 

Thomas  Shepard  was  eminently  spiritual. 
It  is  said  that  he  always  finished  his  prepara- 
tion for  the  pulpit  by  two  o'clock  on  Saturday 
afternoon,  accounting  "that  God  would  curse 
that  man's  labors  who  goes  lumbering  up  and 
down  in  the  world  all  the  week,  and  then  upon 
Saturday  afternoon  goes  into  his  study,  when 
as  God  knows,  that  time  were  little  enough  to 
pray  in,  and  weep  in,  and  get  his  heart  into  a 
frame  fit  for  the  approaching  Sabbath."  He 
is  described  as  a  "poor,  weak,  pale-complec- 
tioned  man,"  but  also  "the  holy,  heavenly, 
sweet-affecting,  and  soul-flourishing  minister, 
in  whose  soul  the  Lord  shed  abroad  his  love  so 
abundantly  that  thousands  of  souls  have  cause 
to  bless  God  for  him." 

In  1636,  he  was  entreated  by  the  General 
Court  to  join  with  the  Governor  and  others 
in  making  a  draft  of  laws  agreeable  to  the 
word  of  God,  "to  be  the  fundamentals  of  this 
Commonwealth."  His  influence  is  instanced 
in  the  experience  of  Edward  Johnson,  who 
wandered  out  from  Charlestown,  and  hearing 


234  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

the  sound  of  a  drum  (the  drum  for  some  rea- 
son had  been  substituted  for  the  church-bell), 
"He  crowdeth  through  the  thickest,  when, 
having  stayed  while  the  glass  was  turned  up 
twice,  the  man  was  metamorphosed,  and  was 
fain  to  hang  down  his  head  often,  lest  his 
watery  eyes  should  blab  abroad  the  secret  con- 
junction of  his  affections."  Shepard's  suc- 
cessor, Mitchel,  said,  "Unless  it  had  been  four 
years  living  in  heaven,  I  know  not  how  I  could 
have  more  cause  to  bless  God  with  wonder 
than  for  those  four  years." 

We  must  remember  that  these  Puritan 
preachers  considered  that  the  service  of  God 
had  been  grievously  abused  by  pipings,  and 
organs,  singing,  ringing,  trowling  of  Psalms 
from  one  side  of  the  choir  to  the  other,  and 
squeaking  of  chanting  choristers,  disguised  in 
white  surplices.  The  clergy  had  been  few 
and  poor,  and  in  the  beginning,  collections  of 
homilies  had  been  made  for  church  use.  In 
the  seventeenth  century,  there  were  ten  thou- 
sand parish  churches,  with  only  two  thousand 
preachers.  People  had  to  go  from  five  to 
twenty  miles  to  hear  a  sermon,  or  be  fined  12  d. 
for  being  absent.  Preaching  was  considered 
a  device  for  spreading  false  opinion.  It  was 
said  that  preaching  had  grown  so    much    in 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         235 

fashion  that  the  service  of  the  church  was  ne- 
glected, and  the  pulpit  harangues  were  dan- 
gerous. The  New  England  ministers  seemed 
to  think  that  the  extreme  length  of  their  ser- 
vice showed  a  revulsion  from  Popery.  There 
was  no  music  whatever  for  a  long  time,  unless 
the  singing  of  Psalms  unaccompanied.  Then 
the  bass-viol  and  viohn  were  thought  less 
idolatrous  than  the  organ.  The  first  American 
organ  was  not  used  until  1745.  The  hour- 
glass was  always  turned  up  at  least  once. 
Thomas  Shepard  speaks  of  "certain  hearers 
who  sit  in  the  stocks  when  they  are  at  prayers, 
and  come  out  of  the  church  when  the  tedious 
sermon  runnes  somewhat  beyond  the  hour  like 
prisoners  out  of  a  jaile."  His  shortest  sermon 
was  entitled  "The  Saint's  Jewel."  There 
were  three  divisions  of  text, — then  a  loving  ap- 
pellation, a  gracious  invitation,  an  argument 
for  investigation,  followed  by  three  Reasons 
for  the  doctrine;  these  followed  by  four  uses; 
under  use  two,  thirteen  objections  with 
answers;  under  use  three,  two  general  sub- 
divisions, with  two  objections  and  answers, 
one  exhortation,  and  one  warning;  under  use 
four,  six  divisions,  followed  by  five  considera- 
tions and  five  helps;  the  whole  concluded  by 
two  Reproofs. 


236  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

The  contemporaries  of  these  ministers  rid- 
iculed them.  An  EngUsh  divine  in  a  sermon 
entitled  "The  Scribe  Instructed"  says,  "These 
new  lights  seize  upon  some  text  from  whence 
they  draw  something  which  they  call  a  doc- 
trine, and  well  may  it  be  said  to  be  drawn  from 
the  words,  forasmuch  as  it  seldom  naturally 
flows  from  them.  In  the. next  place,  they 
branch  into  several  heads,  perhaps  twenty  or 
thirty  or  upward.  Whereupon  for  the  pros- 
ecution of  these,  they  repair  to  some  trusty 
concordance  which  never  fails  them,  and  by 
the  help  of  that,  they  range  six  or  seven  scrip- 
tures under  each  head,  which  scriptures  they 
prosecute  one  by  one,  enlarging  upon  one  for 
some  considerable  time,  till  they  have  spoiled 
it,  and  then,  that  being  done,  they  pass  to  an- 
other, which,  in  turn,  suflPers  accordingly." 

In  1639,  the  people  met  for  a  day  of  humil- 
iation. They  wished  to  suppress  novelties, 
oppression,  atheism,  excess,  superfluity,  idle- 
ness, contempt  of  authority,  and  troubles  in 
other  parts  to  be  remembered.  These  good, 
serious,  earnest  people  prohibited  slashed 
clothes,  large  sleeves,  laces  (gold,  silver  or 
thread),  long  hair,  embroideries,  and  cakes 
and  buns  in  markets  and  victualling-houses. 
They  imposed  taxes  on  sugar,  spice,  wine  and 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         237 

strong  waters.  Instead  of  considering  mar- 
riage an  ecclesiastical  sacrament,  the  Puritan 
declared  it  a  civil  contract.  Was  there  any 
passage  in  Scripture  which  made  marriage 
part  of  the  ministerial  function?  Then  the 
minister  must  not  perform  it.  It  must  he 
done  by  the  civil  magistrate  as  a  secular  rite. 
No  marriage  by  a  minister  is  found  on  record 
in  New  England  before  1686.  Burials  came 
under  the  same  category.  What  warrant  in 
Scripture  to  warrant  Popish  mummery  of 
prayer  for  the  dead?  Funerals  were  without 
scripture,  psalm,  sermon  or  prayer.  A  bell 
was  tolled,  and  friends  carried  their  dead  to 
some  church-yard  or  roadside  enclosure,  and 
silently  laid  them  away. 

The  presence  of  Shepard  in  the  New  Town 
is  believed  to  have  shaped  its  destinies.  "It 
was  with  a  respect  unto  his  vigilancy  and  his 
enlightening  and  powerful  ministry,  that  when 
the  foundation  of  a  college  was  to  be  laid, 
Cambridge  was  pitched  upon  to  be  the  seat  of 
that  happy  seminary,  out  of  which  proceeded 
many  notable  preachers,  who  were  made  such 
by  their  sitting  under  Mr.  Shepard's  min- 
istry." In  October,  1636,  the  General  Court 
agreed  to  give  £400  toward  the  founding  of  a 
college.     The  grant  was  six  times  as  great  as 


238  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

had  been  given  for  protection  against  the  In- 
dians. The  citizens  of  the  New  Town  were 
first  in  good  works.  Here  the  first  grammar- 
school  was  estabhshed,  the  first  printing-press 
was  set  up,  and  the  first  Bible  was  printed  in 
America,  and  from  here  went  out  the  first 
Protestant  mission  of  modern  times  to  the 
heathen.  Here  the  first  college  was  founded. 
The  old  record  says:  "It  pleased  God  also  to 
stir  up  the  heart  of  one  Mr.  Harvard,  a  godly 
gentleman  living  amongst  us,  to  give  the  one 
halfe  of  his  estate,  and  all  his  library.  An- 
other gave  £300,  others  after  them  cast  in 
more,  and  the  publique  hand  of  the  State  add- 
ed the  rest."  During  the  first  ten  years  of  the 
life  of  the  college,  three-fifths  of  its  graduates 
became  ministers  in  the  established  Congrega- 
tional churches  of  the  colony,  and  for  a  whole 
generation  more  than  half  its  graduates  en- 
tered that  ministry.  From  the  beginning,  the 
ministers  of  this  church  were  associated  with 
the  college,  and  several  were  officers  in  it.  The 
whole  college  attended  our  services  when  there 
was  plenty  of  room  for  them  all  in  the  build- 
ing, forty  feet  square.  There  were  not  more 
than  eight  or  nine  in  the  graduating-class. 

Most  of  the  clergymen  who  came  to  New 
England  were  graduates  of  Cambridge,  and 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         239 

people  began  to  call  the  town  Cambridge,  after 
the  college  was  estabHshed.     In  1638,  the  Gen- 
eral Court  changed  the  name  of  Newtown  to 
Cambridge.     In  1639,  the  name  Harvard  was 
given  to  the  college.     In  1655,  Cambridge  in- 
cluded Brighton,  Newton,  and  large  parts  of 
Arlington,  Lexington,  Bedford,  and  Billerica. 
In  1646,  a  synod  of  delegates  from  the  colo- 
nies of  Massachusetts,  Plymouth,  New  Haven 
and  Connecticut,  assembled  at  Cambridge   to 
define  their  creed  and  agree  upon  a  system  of 
church    government.     Their    work    was    fin- 
ished in  1648.     The  Westminster  Assembly's 
Creed  was  adopted,  as  also    a    platform    of 
church  disciphne  known  as  "The  Cambridge 
Platform,"  upon  which  all  the  Congregational 
churches  of  New  England  were  able  to  stand 
for  the  next  four  generations.     A  desire  for 
union,  in  face  of  the  common  loneliness  and 
danger,  brought  about  the  assembling  of  the 
synod.     The  New  England  churches  were  no 
longer  Independent  but  Congregational.    Con- 
gregationalism was  Independency  touched  by 
the  spirit  of  fellowship.     In  1637,  a  synod  was 
convened  for  the  exposure,  condemnation  and 
suppression  of  Antinomian  doctrines,  intro- 
duced by  Anne  Hutchinson  and  her  followers. 
Eighty-two     heretical    opinions     were     con- 


240  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

demned.  In  1642,  the  Commencement  of 
Harvard  College  was  celebrated  here.  In 
1651,  John  EUot's  first  missionary  station  was 
established,  and  an  Indian  church  organized. 
Shepard  wrote  tracts  which  Eliot  translated. 

Beginning  with  1664,  Cambridge  was  di- 
vided, and  churches  were  estabhshed  in 
Brighton,  Lexington,  and  Menotomy  or  Arl- 
ington. 

Thomas  Shepard  was  married  three  times. 
His  first  wife  died  within  two  weeks  of  their 
arrival  here,  and  he  later  married  Thomas 
Hooker's  eldest  daughter.  His  third  wife  be- 
came upon  Shepard's  death  the  wife  of  his  suc- 
cessor. Shepard  died  in  1649,  leaving  an  es- 
tate of  £810.  He  was  forty-four  years  old. 
No  man  knoweth  of  his  grave. 

At  about  the  time  of  the  installation  of  Jon- 
athan Mitchel,  a  new  meeting-house  was  built 
on  Watch-House  Hill,  near  where  Dane  Hall 
now  stands.  It  was  forty  feet  square,  with  a 
shingled  roof. 

Jonathan  Mitchel  was  born  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  in  1624,  and  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents,  on  account  of  the  persecu- 
tions there,  when  he  was  eleven  years  old.  He 
entered  college,  and  came  at  once  under  the 
influence  of  Thomas  Shepard.     He   kept    a 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         241 

diary  in  Latin,  and  would  often  spend  the 
greater  part  of  a  day  in  the  woods  in  self- 
examination  and  prayer.  After  his  gradua- 
tion, he  was  made  one  of  the  Fellows  of  the 
College,  and  for  a  time  was  tutor.  He  was 
ordained  here  in  1650.  His  fame  was  in  all 
the  region.  His  utterance  had  such  a  becom- 
ing tunableness  and  vivacity  to  set  it  off,  as  was 
indeed  inimitable.  All  along  in  his  preaching, 
it  was  a  very  lovely  song  of  one  who  hath  a 
pleasant  voice.  The  people  would  shake  un- 
der his  dispensations,  yet  mourn  to  think  that 
they  were  going  presently  to  be  dismissed 
from  such  an  heaven  upon  earth.  During  his 
ministry,  Henry  Dunster,  first  president  of 
Harvard  College,  and  a  member  of  this 
church,  not  only  forbore  to  present  an  infant 
of  his  own  unto  the  baptism  of  our  Lord,  but 
also  thought  himself  under  some  obligation  to 
bear  his  testimony  in  some  sermons  against 
the  administration  of  baptism  to  any  infant 
whatsoever.  It  was  hard  for  the  people  of  the 
parish  to  resist  his  influence,  and  rebuke  his 
conduct,  for  besides  his  official  station,  he  had 
been  after  Shepard's  death  in  the  place  of  a 
pastor.  Mitchel  preached  more  than  half  a 
score  of  ungainsayable  sermons  upon  the  sub- 
ject.    Dunster   was  indicted   by   the   grand 


242  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

jury,  publicly  admonished  by  order  of  the 
court,  and  forced  to  give  bonds  for  his  good 
behavior.  He  later  resigned  his  position  as 
President.  The  Half- Way  Covenant  was 
adopted  during  Mitchel's  time.  It  granted 
baptism  to  the  children  of  certain  persons  who 
were  not  considered  qualified  for  admission  to 
the  Lord's  table.  Mitchel  has  left  us  a  list  of 
the  church-members  in  his  day,  the  original 
manuscript  of  which  we  have.  He  died  in 
1668,  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  ministry, 
and  the  forty-fourth  of  his  age.  There  was 
great  mourning  and  lamenting  for  him  among 
his  own  people,  and  throughout  the  churches. 
It  was  three  years  before  the  church  had  an- 
other pastor;  the  pulpit  in  the  interim  was  oc- 
cupied by  President  Chauncy  and  others.  The 
Rev.  Urian  Oakes  was  ordained  pastor  in 
1671,  and  because  the  people  had  so  deep  a 
sense  of  divine  favor  in  giving  them  such  a 
minister,  they  kept  a  day  of  public  thanksgiv- 
ing. The  account  of  disbursements  for  the 
ordination  contains  3  bushels  of  wheat,  2 
bushels  %  of  malt,  4  gallons  of  wine,  beef, 
mutton,  sugar,  spice  and  frute,  and  other  small 
things,  amounting  in  all  to  £lO.  Mr.  Oakes 
was  born  in  England  about  1631,  and  brought 
to  this  country  by  his  parents  in  his  childhood. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         243 

Observers  said  of  him  that  if  good-nature 
could  ever  carry  one  to  heaven,  this  youth  had 
enough  to  carry  him  thither.  He  graduated 
from  Harvard  in  1649.  He  preached  his  first 
sermon  in  Roxbury,  then  became  a  chaplain 
in  England,  and  was  later  silenced  as  a  non- 
conformist. He  was  a  member  of  the  Har- 
vard Corporation,  later  Superintendent  of  the 
College,  with  the  rank  and  duties  of  President, 
and  in  1679  was  elected  President,  retaining 
the  pastoral  care  of  the  church.  The  Rev. 
Nathaniel  Gookin  was  made  assistant  to  the 
pastor. 

There  was  a  gallery  built  in  the  meeting- 
house, and  Daniel  Cheaver  was  appointed  "to 
sit  amongst  the  little  boys  at  the  north-east 
end  of  the  meeting-house  to  see  that  there  be 
no  disorder." 

The  parsonasfe  was  built  in  1670,  on  the 
north  side  of  Harvard  Street,  now  Massachu- 
setts Avenue,  with  four  acres  attached  to  it, 
including  the  present  site  of  Boylston  Hall. 
It  was  occupied  as  a  parsonage  until  1807, 
when  Dr.  Holmes  moved  to  a  house  known  as 
Hastings  House,  on  the  site  of  the  Gym- 
nasium. 

In  the  sheets  recently  found  of  Oliver  Wen- 
dell Holmes'  alumni  address  in  1863,  there  is 


244  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

a  Latin  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Thomas 
Shepard,  the  son  of  our  minister,  the  minister 
in  Charlestown,  and  an  Overseer  of  the  Col- 
lege. It  was  delivered  at  the  commencement 
exercises  in  1678  by  the  Rev.  President  Urian 
Oakes.  He  died  in  1681  in  the  fiftieth  year 
of  his  age,  the  tenth  year  of  his  ministry, 
and  the  sixth  of  his  presidency.  He  was  bur- 
ied in  our  ancient  God's- Acre.  There  is  a 
charge  upon  the  College-book  for  £16,  16s.,  6 
d.  for  scarfs  and  gloves,  and  £8,  14s.  for  12 
rings  for  Mr.  Oakes'  funeral. 

The  assistant  minister.  Rev.  Nathaniel 
Gookin,  was  ordained  in  1682.  There  is  less 
known  of  this  ministry  than  of  either  of  the 
other  ministers  of  the  church.  He  was  born 
in  Cambridge  in  1658,  graduated  from  Har- 
vard in  1675,  and  died  in  1692  in  the  thirty- 
fourth  year  of  his  age,  and  the  tenth  of  his 
ministry.  His  son  and  grandson  were  succes- 
sively ministers  at  Hampton,  N.  H.  Contri- 
butions for  the  poor  were  at  this  time,  fre- 
quently for  a  single  person,  made  on  the  Sab- 
bath, as  were  collections  for  the  redemption  of 
captives.  Usually  about  a  pound  was  col- 
lected. Mr.  Gookin's  sermons  were  thought- 
ful, thorough,  practical  and  vigorous.  He 
was  a  Fellow  of  the  College.     He  died  in  1692. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         245 

He  and  his  wife  are  both  buried  in  the  old 
burying-ground. 

At  a  Corporation-meeting  of  the  College 
£5  were  voted  toward  repairing  the  meeting- 
house, "provided  that  this  present  allowance 
shall  not  be  drawn  into  a  precedent  for  the 
future,  and  that  the  selectmen  shall  renounce 
all  expectation  of  such  a  thing  for  the  future." 
After  the  death  of  Mr.  Gookin,  the  pulpit  was 
filled  by  various  preachers.  The  amount  paid 
for  a  single  sermon  was  10s.,  for  a  whole  day's 
service  £l.  Increase  Mather  received  the 
same  compensation  as  the  minister  having  the 
least  fame.  He  was  invited  to  become  pastor, 
but  his  people  among  whom  he  had  preached 
for  thirty-six  years  were  unwilling  to  release 
him.  He  preached  much  here,  and  gave  his 
pay  to  Mr.  Gookin's  widow.  She  was  also 
paid  for  entertaining  the  ministers. 

Rev.  William  Brattle  was  ordained  in  1696. 
He  was  of  a  wealthy  and  prominent  family, 
was  born  in  Boston,  and  was  a  tutor  at 
the  College.  When  smallpox  prevailed,  he 
stood  at  his  post,  venturing  his  life  for  the  sick 
scholars.  He  was  made  Bachelor  of  Divinity 
in  1692 — the  first  time  this  degree  was  ever 
conferred.  He  was  Fellow  and  treasurer  of 
the  College.     He  published  a  system  of  Logic, 


246  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

long  used  as  a  college  text-book.  He  be- 
queathed £250  to  the  College,  and  was  Fellow 
of  The  Royal  Society  of  London.  Mr. 
Brattle's  salary  was  from  £90  to  £100,  and 
many  donations  of  wood,  according  to  the  cus- 
tom,— in  1695  twenty- two  loads.  He  died  in 
1717,  with  peace,  and  an  extraordinary  seren- 
ity of  mind,  and  was  buried  here.  It  was  the 
day  of  the  "Great  Snow,"  and  the  principal 
magistrates  and  ministers  of  Boston  were  de- 
tained here  for  several  days.  During  Mr. 
Brattle's  pastorate,  seven  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  children  were  baptized,  and  three  hundred 
and  sixty-four  persons  were  admitted  to  the 
church.  He  was  a  man  of  marked  politeness 
and  courtesy,  of  compassion  and  charity.  He 
had  a  very  large  estate,  and  scattered  his  gifts 
with  a  liberal  hand.  His  manner  in  the  pul- 
pit was  "calm,  soft  and  melting."  He  gave 
to  the  church  a  baptismal  basin. 

In  1706,  the  third  meeting-house  was  erect- 
ed on  or  near  the  site  of  the  second.  The 
Corporation  of  the  College  voted  £60,  and 
there  was  care  to  be  taken  for  the  building  of 
a  pew  for  the  President's  family,  and  for  the 
students'  seats. 

The  Rev.  Nathaniel  Appleton  was  ordained 
in  1717.     He  was  born  in  Ipswich  in  1693.  He 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         247 

graduated  from  Harvard  in  1712.  He  was  a 
Fellow  of  the  College,  and  in  1771,  he  was 
made  a  Doctor  of  Divinity,  the  second  time 
this  degree  had  been  conferred  in  seventy- 
eight  years.  Increase  Mather  received  it  then. 
In  1761,  Christ  Church  was  established.  Dur- 
ing Mr.  Appleton's  ministry  of  sixty-seven 
years,  there  were  2048  children  baptized,  90 
adults,  and  784  admitted  to  church-fellow- 
ship. There  are  records  of  church  discipline, 
and  the  appointment  of  a  committee  for  in- 
specting the  manners  of  professing  Christians. 
When  certain  individuals  fell  into  open  sin, 
the  church  and  the  whole  community  met  in 
solemn  assembly  and  spent  the  forenoon  in 
prayer  and  preaching. 

The  Revolution  was  coming  on  during  this 
ministry,  and  the  meeting-house  opened  its 
doors  for  public  uses.  Washington  and  his 
companions-in-arms  came  here  to  worship.  The 
delegates  from  the  towns  of  the  state  met  here 
in  1779,  and  framed  the  Constitution.  Here 
in  1774  the  people  kept  a  day  of  humiliation 
and  prayer.  In  1765,  in  our  town-meeting,  the 
first  formal  protest  was  made  against  the 
Stamp  Act.  "We  can  no  longer  stand  idle 
spectators,  but  will  join  Boston  in  any  meas- 
ure to  deliver  ourselves  and  our  posterity  from 


248  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

slavery."  In  1777,  it  was  voted  that  "because 
of  the  infirmities  of  our  very  aged  pastor,  it  is 
agreeable  and  is  the  desire  of  the  church  that 
the  Honorable  and  Rev.  Pres.  Langdon 
should  administer  the  sacraments."  In  1783, 
according  to  Rev.  Mr.  Appleton's  records,  a 
day  of  fasting  and  prayer  by  the  church  and 
congregation  was  held  "to  seek  Divine  direc- 
tion for  procuring  a  more  fixed  and  settled 
preaching,  and  administration  of  the  word  and 
ordinances  among  us,  considering  the  very 
advanced  age  and  growing  infirmities  of  me, 
their  aged  pastor."  Mr.  Appleton  married  a 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Gibbs  of  Water- 
town,  and  they  had  twelve  children.  While 
he  was  wooing  Miss  Gibbs,  he  happened  to  call 
while  a  rival  suitor  was  at  the  house,  his  horse 
tied  near  the  gate.  Mr.  Appleton  tied  his  own 
horse,  unloosed  his  rival's,  and  sent  him  down 
the  street.  He  then  went  into  the  house,  and 
asked  his  rival  if  that  was  his  horse  running 
away.  Upon  the  hasty  departure  of  the 
horse's  owner,  Mr.  Appleton  offered  himself, 
and  was  accepted. 

It  was  during  Dr.  Appleton's  ministry  that 
Whitefield  came,  and  excited  the  country  with 
his  preaching.  The  faculty  of  the  College 
published  a  pamphlet,  being  their  testimony 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         249 

against  the  Rev.  George  Whitefield.  Mr. 
Whitefield  somewhat  modified  what  he  had 
said.  Many  students  were  moved  by  his 
preaching,  and  by  Mr.  Appleton  who  was 
more  "close  and  affecting"  after  Mr.  White- 
field's  visit.  Mr.  Appleton  died  in  1784  in  the 
ninety-first  year  of  his  age. 

The  Rev.  Timothy  Hilliard  became  his  suc- 
cessor, and  was  installed  in  1783.  Mr.  Hil- 
liard was  a  tutor  in  the  College.  He  preached 
for  a  while  in  Barnstable  before  his  settlement 
here.  He  died  in  1790,  in  the  seventh  year  of 
his  ministry,  and  the  forty-fourth  of  his  age. 
He  was  studious  and  earnest,  excelled  in  pub- 
lic prayer,  and  was  "tenderly  attentive  to  the 
sick  and  afflicted."  He  pubhshed  five  ser- 
mons, including  a  Dudleian  lecture. 

Dr.  Abiel  Holmes,  born  in  1763,  was  the 
ninth  pastor  of  this  church.  He  was  a  Yale 
graduate,  and  preached  in  the  South  for  sev- 
eral years.  In  1792,  he  became  pastor  of  this 
church.  The  records  of  the  church  during  his 
ministry  are  preserved  in  his  own  handwriting. 
At  about  this  time,  the  number  of  inhabitants 
in  Cambridge  was  about  2,200.  There  were 
301  dwelling-houses,  one-half  in  the  first  par- 
ish.    There  were  five  houses  of  worship  in 


260  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

each  of  the  three  parishes,  one  Congregational, 
one  Episcopal  and  one  Baptist.  The  Univer- 
sity had  five  buildings,  and  191  students.  In 
1797,  the  Communion  service  was  estabhshed 
monthly.  It  had  been  held  once  in  eight 
weeks  previously.  In  1809,  there  is  an  in- 
stance of  the  excommunication  of  a  woman. 
Dr.  Holmes  said  with  pathos  and  solemnity, 
"I  pronounce  her  to  be  a  person  from  whom 
the  followers  of  Christ  are  to  withdraw  as 
from  one  who  walketh  disorderly.  The  sen- 
tence now  passed  is  but  a  representation  of  a 
sentence  inconceivably  more  awful  to  be 
passed  on  the  transgressor  at  the  judgment- 
seat  of  Christ,  unless  it  be  prevented  by  a 
seasonable  repentance."  Contumacious  be- 
havior was  the  charge  against  her.  Four 
years  later,  she  gave  evidence  of  contrition 
and  repentance,  and  was  readmitted  to  the 
communion,  and  restored  to  the  fellowship 
and  privileges  of  the  church.  A  man  was  ex- 
communicated for  heretical  writing,  after 
fruitless  efforts  to  reclaim  him. 

In  1805,  there  was  a  library  established  un- 
der the  care  of  the  church,  and  the  pastor  was 
chosen  librarian.  In  the  summer  of  1815,  a 
Sabbath- School  was  opened  at  the  meeting- 
house, and  more  than  eighty  children  received 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         261 

instruction.  In  1827  a  juvenile  library  was 
collected  by  subscription. 

In  1814  the  Corporation  and  Overseers  of 
the  College  decided  that  it  was  best  for  the 
members  of  the  University  to  hold  religious 
services  by  themselves.  For  178  years  the 
church  and  University  had  held  their  services 
together.  The  completion  of  University  Hall 
which  would  contain  a  chapel  favored  the 
change.  A  committee,  including  the  Presi- 
dent, expressed  the  sentiments  of  regard  and 
fraternity  felt  by  the  members  of  the  several 
College  boards,  and  the  desire  of  Christian 
and  friendly  communion  between  the  two  so- 
cieties. Five  delegates,  with  the  pastor,  were 
appointed  to  attend  the  formation  of  the  new 
church,  and  the  pastor  was  requested  "to  re- 
ciprocate the  assurance  of  regard  and  frater- 
nity so  kindly  expressed  by  the  University 
towards  us."  The  Covenant  is  dated  Harvard 
College,  Nov.  6,  1814.  Our  church  record  of 
the  event  closes  by  stating  that  on  the  Lord's 
day,  6th  Nov.,  1814,  the  church  was  organized 
at  University  Hall,  in  the  presence  and  by  the 
assistance  of  the  pastor  and  delegates  of  the 
First  Church  in  Cambridge. 

In  1824,  Lafayette  was   received   in   our 


252  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

church  and  made  welcome  in  an  address  by 
President  Kirkland. 

In  1807,  Dr.  Hohnes  left  the  ancient  par- 
sonage and  removed  to  the  house  in  Holmes 
Place.  The  Cambridgeport  church  was  or- 
ganized in  1809  with  Rev.  Thomas  Brattle 
Gannett,  a  member  of  our  church,  as  pastor. 
Dr.  Holmes  preached  in  the  Episcopal  church 
by  the  request  of  the  wardens  and  vestry  on 
Christmas  Day,  1809.  Edward  Everett  be- 
came a  member  of  this  church  in  1812. 

On  the  20th  of  July,  1827,  a  memorial 
signed  by  sixty-three  members  of  the  parish 
was  presented  to  the  pastor,  remonstrating 
with  him  for  discontinuing  professional  ex- 
changes with  certain  ministers,  and  recom- 
mending a  return  to  his  former  custom.  As 
early  as  1787,  the  society  worshipping  at 
King's  Chapel  set  aside  the  English  Liturgy 
it  had  been  using,  and  adopted  one  excluding 
all  acknowledgment  of  the  Trinity.  1806  is 
accounted  the  time  for  the  beginning  of  the 
controversy.  It  was  closely  concealed,  ac- 
cording to  one  writer.  Not  until  the  spring 
of  1815  was  it  drawn  from  its  hiding-place.  In 
1804,  at  a  conference  on  the  appointment  of 
Dr.  Ware  as  Holhs  Professor  of  Divinity, 
orthodoxy  was  for  the  first  time  openly  with- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         268 

stood.  Whitefield's  first  visit  in  1740  furnishes 
abundant  proof  that  all  the  elements  of  Uni- 
tarianism  were  then  at  work  here.  President 
Edwards  wrote  in  opposition  to  certain  here- 
sies. President  John  Adams  in  1750  affirmed 
that  his  own  minister,  Rev.  Lemuel  Bryant, 
Dr.  Jonathan  Mayhew  of  Boston,  Shute  and 
Gay  of  Hingham,  and  Brown  of  Cohasset 
were  Unitarian,  and  he  adds,  "How  many  I 
could  name  among  the  laity, — lawyers,  phy- 
sicians, tradesmen,  farmers."  The  three  points 
which  formed  the  issue  were  the  doctrine  of 
original  sin,  a  belief  in  the  Deity  of  Christ, 
and  the  atonement.  By  1827,  a  large  part  of 
the  ministers  of  the  churches  in  this  immediate 
neighborhood  had  embraced  the  liberal  prin- 
ciples of  belief.  About  this  time,  the  American 
Unitarian  Association  was  formed.  No  single 
year  marked  the  complete  cutting  off  of  min- 
isterial exchanges.  It  came  about  gradually, 
and  began  to  be  noticed  by  the  people.  A 
large  majority  of  the  legal  voters  in  the  affairs 
of  the  parish  chose  the  more  liberal  views. 
They  complained  of  the  change  in  the  pastor's 
practice,  and  hence  sent  the  memorial  men- 
tioned earlier,  wherein  they  spoke  of  the  peace 
and  harmony  which  had  existed,  and  requested 
him  to  exchange  a  reasonable  proportion  of 


254  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

the  time  with  such  respectable  clergymen  of 
liberal  sentiments  in  this  vicinity  as  had  here- 
tofore been  admitted  into  his  pulpit,  and  with 
others  of  similar  character.     The  pastor    re- 
plied that  he  thought  an  interview  with  him, 
before  any  paper  had  been  drawn  up,  would 
have  been  more  favorable  to  truth  and  peace. 
There  was  a  protracted  controversy.     To  no 
measures  whereby  Unitarian  clergymen  might 
preach  for  a  portion  of  the  time  would  Dr. 
Holmes  consent.     He  claimed  that  there  had 
been  no  change  in  doctrinal  teaching  from  the 
time  of  Shepard,  that  he  was  standing  on  the 
old  foundation  and  continuing  the  instruction 
for   which   he   was    called   to   the   pastorate. 
Through  all  this  controversy,  the  church  stood 
by  him, — the  church  and  pastor  on  one  side, 
the  parish  on  the  other.     Finally,  the  parish 
proposed  to  call  a  mutual  ecclesiastical  coun- 
cil.    The  church  and  a  minority  of  the  parish 
declared  that  the  ancient  usage  was  for  the 
church  and  parish  to  concur  in  questions  touch- 
ing the  settlement  and  removal  of  a  minister. 
The  church  insisted  on  their  right  to  partici- 
pate in  the  calling  of  a  mutual  council.     The 
parish  objected  to  the  admission  of  the  church. 
Dr.  Holmes  agreed  to  consent  to  a  mutual  ec- 
clesiastical council.     The  parish  placed  their 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         266 

refusal  on  the  grounds  that  the  church  had  no 
complaint  against  the  pastor  or  the  parish. 

The  parish  called  an  ex  parte  council  in 
1829,  representing  six  Unitarian  churches.    A 
copy  of  the  complaint  to  be  presented  against 
him  was  given  to  the  pastor,  before  the  meet- 
ing. In  a  written  communication,  Dr.  Holmes 
denied  the  jurisdiction  of  such  a  council,  and 
the  remonstrance  of  the  church  and  a  minority 
of  the  parish  was  presented.     The  council  sent 
a  committee  to  appraise  Dr.  Holmes  of  their 
readiness  to  receive  any  further  information 
from  him.    He  received  the  committee  kindly, 
and  replied  that  he  had  no  further  communi- 
cation to  make.     The  Hon.  Samuel  Hoar  was 
council  for  the  parish.     The  ex  parte  council 
voted  that  "The  First  Parish  in   Cambridge 
have  sufficient  cause  to  terminate  the  contract 
subsisting  between  them  and   the    Rev.    Dr. 
Holmes  as  their  minister,  and  this  council  rec- 
ommend the  measure  as  necessary  to  the  ex- 
istence and  spiritual  prosperity  of  the  society." 
The  parish  accepted  this  vote,  and  voted  that 
"the  Rev.  Dr.  Abiel  Holmes  be,  and  hereby 
is  dismissed  from  his  office  of  minister  of  the 
gospel,  and  teacher  of  piety,  religion  and  mor- 
ality in  said  parish,  and  that  all  connection 
between  said  Holmes  as  such  minister  or  teach- 


266  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

er  and  said  parish  do  and  shall  henceforth 
cease."  They  voted  him  three  months'  salary 
and  the  use  and  occupation  of  the  real  estate 
until  the  next  January.  In  June,  1829,  they 
told  the  pastor  that  they  had  employed  a 
preacher  to  supply  the  pulpit  in  the  meeting- 
house on  the  next  ensuing  Sabbath,  and  for 
succeeding  Sabbaths,  and  that  his  services 
would  not  be  required  or  authorized.  Dr. 
Holmes  replied  that  he  still  considered  himself 
the  lawful  minister  of  the  parish.  A  reply 
from  the  parish  committee  stated  that  the 
council's  decision  was  legal  and  valid,  and  that 
he  was  not  minister  to  said  parish,  and  that 
he  could  not  occupy  nor  use  the  pulpit  of  said 
parish. 

Thereupon  a  majority  of  the  church  mem- 
bers of  the  church  withdrew,  and  with  their 
pastor,  held  service  in  the  old  Courthouse,  "in 
the  presence  of  a  full,  attentive  and  solemn 
assembly."  The  whole  nimaber  of  church 
members  was  about  ninety,  two-thirds  of 
whom  followed  the  pastor.  Of  the  whole 
number  of  persons  who  usually  worshipped  in 
the  meeting-house,  about  one-half  withdrew. 
The  members  of  the  church  who  went  away 
with  Dr.  Holmes  called  an  advisory  council 
representing  ten  churches,  which  approved  of 


CHURCHES    OP    GREATER    BOSTON         257 

the  course  pursued  by  the  minister  in  "contin- 
uing to  perform  parochial  duties  wherever  and 
to  whomsoever  he  may  have  opportunity."  A 
new  society  was  organized.  Dr.  Hohnes  de- 
clined to  have  it  bear  the  name  of  the  Holmes 
Congregational  Society,  and  in  accordance 
with  his  wish,  it  took  the  name  of  The  Shep- 
ard  Congregational  Society.  Rev.  Dr. 
Holmes  could  not,  as  he  felt,  connect  himself 
with  this  organization,  because  he  did  not  con- 
sider himself  legally  dismissed  from  his  pas- 
toral connection  with  The  First  Parish.  But 
the  church  members  who  went  away  agreed  to 
unite  with  the  new  society  to  maintain  the 
worship  and  ordinances  of  the  gospel  until 
their  rights  and  those  of  their  pastor  should  be 
again  respected  by  The  First  Parish. 

A  new  church  home  was  built  and  dedicated 
in  1831.  It  was  at  the  corner  of  Mt.  Auburn 
and  Holyoke  Streets.  In  1872,  the  present 
church,  at  the  corner  of  Mason  and  Garden 
Streets,  was  dedicated. 

The  Rev.  William  Newell  was  called  to  the 
pastoral  care  of  our  parish  in  May,  1830.  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Holmes  and  the  church  under  his 
care  entered  a  protest  against  his  ordination, 
without  avail.  In  1831,  the  deacons  of  the 
church  which  remained  with  The  First  Parish 


258  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

demanded  of  the  deacons  of  the  church  going 
out  from  The  First  Parish  the  dehvery  of  cer- 
tain articles  of  church  property — the  church 
fund,  the  poor's  fund,  the  communion  service 
and  baptismal  basin,  the  church  records,  li- 
brary, etc.  The  demand  was  not  obeyed,  and 
a  law-suit  was  begun.  The  Supreme  Court 
of  the  Commonwealth  having  decided  in  simi- 
lar cases  that  deacons  going  away  cannot  re- 
tain the  church  property,  the  church  property 
in  question  was  given  up  to  the  deacons  of  the 
church  who  remained  with  the  parish.  The 
principle  laid  down  was  that  where  a  majority 
of  the  members  of  a  Congregational  church 
separate  from  the  minority  members  who  re- 
main with  the  parish,  the  members  who  remain, 
although  a  minority,  constitute  the  church  in 
such  parish,  and  retain  the  rights  and  prop- 
erty belonging  thereto.  In  Dr.  McKenzie's 
opinion,  the  true  course  would  have  been  to 
say,  "Let  us  divide  our  goods  and  separate." 
Dr.  Crothers  said  at  our  first  meeting  last  fall, 
"Today,  there  need  have  been  no  separation." 
Dr.  Newell  met  the  storm  by  a  refusal  to  en- 
gage in  controversy,  ignoring  enmity.  As  a 
result  of  his  sweet  and  gentle  disposition,  the 
quarrel  soon  passed  into  oblivion,  and  lingers 
as  a  dim  recollection.     Dr.  Newell  was  born  in 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         259 

1804.  His  school  and  college  career  was  very 
brilliant.  He  entered  Harvard  in  the  class  of 
1824,  and  the  Divinity  School,  in  1829.  When 
he  was  fifteen  he  wrote  his  first  poetry.  He 
was  an  usher  in  the  Boston  Latin  School.  His 
health  was  precarious.  After  preaching  oc- 
casionally in  some  of  our  large  cities,  he  was 
settled  here,  and  stayed  for  thirty-eight  years. 
He  found  here  a  partial  union  of  church  and 
state,  the  minister,  an  officer  of  the  community, 
elected  by  the  voters  of  the  town.  He  saw  the 
minister  become  the  temporary  officer  of  a  vol- 
untary association,  an  association  only  one 
among  many  similar  societies. 

In  1832,  the  parish  sold  to  the  college  the 
valuable  land  on  which  the  old  meeting-house 
stood,  and  also  the  parsonage  lot,  in  considera- 
tion of  which,  the  present  lot  was  transferred 
to  the  parish,  and  the  present  church  was 
erected  thereon  at  the  expense  of  the  college. 
In  this  church,  the  college  reserved  the  title 
to  one  gallery,  and  to  a  President's  pew  in  the 
body  of  the  church,  together  with  the  use  of 
the  building  on  special  college  days.  Up  to 
1873,  annual  college  commencements  were 
held  here.  From  the  beginning  there  were 
poor  in  the  parish,  and  collections  were  taken 
at  each  communion  service  for  their  benefit. 


260  SKETCHES    OP    SOME    HISTORIC 

For  their  relief  also  there  was  and  is  an  annual 
Thanksgiving  collection.  The  minister  and 
the  deacons  acted  as  a  Relief  Society.  At  one 
time,  there  were  fourteen  retired  ministers  in 
the  congregation.  Dr.  Newell  was  a  wonder- 
ful man.  As  the  years  of  his  ministry  passed, 
his  face  seemed  to  grow  constantly  more 
radiant  and  benignant.  His  presence  was  a 
benediction,  which  seemed  to  leave,  as  he 
passed  among  his  people,  a  sweetening  and  con- 
secrating influence.  He  rarely  spoke  of  him- 
self, and  in  the  course  of  fifty  years,  never  did 
he  bring  his  personal  joys  or  sorrows  before  an 
audience.  He  had  a  sunny,  playful  humor, 
and  often  expressed  himself  in  verse.  An  Ode 
From  The  Greek  of  Anacreon,  sent  to  a  rela- 
tive with  a  pair  of  gloves  to  be  mended,  runs 
thus: — 

"The  right  glove 
Holds  my  love, 
And  the  left  glove 
My  wife's  love; 
And  both  the  gloves 
Both  our  loves. 
Lovely  gloves." 

He  wrote  a  lovely  sonnet  on  his  seventy-fifth 
birthday;  he  wrote  many  beautiful  hymns,  and 
only  the  second  day  before  his  death,  when  he 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         261 

was  SO  weak  that  he  could  scarcely  raise  his 
head,  he  wrote  on  a  scrap  of  paper,  found 
afterwards, 

"Rises  the  glorious  sun, 
And  o'er  the  world  doth  run, 
Filling  with  light  and  life 
Things  hidden  in  the  night." 

He  severed  his  connection  with  the  parish  in 
1868,  but  fulfilled  parochial  duties  for  a  long 
time  afterwards. 

After  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Newell,  the 
church  had  no  pastor  until  1874,  when  Rev. 
Francis  G.  Peabody  was  installed.  He  was 
born  in  Boston,  and  graduated  from  Harvard 
in  1869,  and  from  the  Divinity  School  in  1872. 
I  find  record  in  1877  of  a  chorus  choir,  and  Dr. 
Peabody  says,  "When  the  change  was  made, 
there  was  apprehension  of  grave  injury.  The 
congregation  has  never  been  so  large — from 
four  hundred  and  fifty  to  five  hundred  and 
fifty.  Through  constant  loyalty  of  our  sing- 
ers, more  than  by  any  other  single  means,  we 
are  brought  into  our  present  financial  pros- 
perity." In  1879,  temporary  ill-health  caused 
Dr.  Peabody's  resignation.  He  goes  in  and 
out  among  us,  and  the  older  members  of  our 
congregation  look  back  to  his  ministry  with 
grateful    remembrance.      Two     silver     com- 


262  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

munion  plates  inscribed  in  memory  of  his  wife 
are  the  gift  of  Dr.  Peabody. 

The  church  has  also  some  very  ancient  and 
interesting  pieces  of  silver.  Two  of  the  four 
tankards  are  dated  1654.  One  has  the  date 
1724.  The  christening  basin,  noted  before, 
was  the  gift  of  Rev.  William  Brattle  in  1717, 
and  two  other  tankards  with  cups  were  recast 
in  1826,  and  made  into  cups  of  a  uniform 
shape  and  size. 

In  January,  1882,  Dr.  Edward  H.  Hall, 
until  then  settled  at  Worcester,  became  our 
pastor.  He  graduated  from  Harvard  in  1851, 
and  was  settled  at  Plymouth  and  Worcester. 
Dr.  Hall  resigned  in  1893.  His  stately  figure 
and  scholarly  presence  were  familiar  to  us  un- 
til his  death  but  recently,  and  now  we  have  his 
memory  perpetuated  in  the  room  which  bears 
his  name,  and  by  his  books  which  he  gave  to 
us.  During  his  pastorate  in  1886,  the  two  hun- 
dred and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  church 
was  celebrated,  and  there  were  all-day  exer- 
cises here  and  at  the  Shepard  church,  in  which 
both  societies  participated  equally,  and  com- 
mittees from  both  were  responsible  for  the  suc- 
cess of  the  occasion,  which  served  to  seal  our 
mutual  friendship. 

Dr.  Crothers  was  invited  to  become  our  min- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         263 

ister  in  1893,  but  it  was  not  until  the  next  year 
that  he  accepted,  and  was  installed  on  June  7, 
1894.  In  1896,  a  special  meeting  was  called 
to  consider  the  matter  of  a  new  church 
covenant,  and  the  securing  of  a  larger  church 
membership.  The  following  covenant  was 
adopted  in  place  of  the  one  in  use  since  1834!. 
"In  the  love  of  truth,  and  the  spirit  of  Jesus, 
we  unite  for  the  worship  of  God,  and  the  serv- 
ice of  man."  In  1899,  a  conmiittee  composed 
of  Dr.  Charles  W.  Ehot,  Mr.  E.  H.  Nichols, 
and  Mr.  Hollis  R.  Bailey  of  this  church,  and 
Mr.  Charles  T.  Russell,  Mr.  Frank  Gaylord 
Cook  and  Mr.  George  S.  Saunders  of  the 
Shepard  Society  was  chosen;  not  to  discuss 
the  legal  rights  of  the  respective  churches,  but 
to  decide  upon  such  official  and  common  names 
for  the  two  churches  as  should  avoid  confusion. 
The  official  names  chosen  vary  in  length;  the 
common  names  are  First  Church  in  Cambridge 
(Unitarian),  First  Church  in  Cambridge 
(Congregational).  The  chairman  of  the 
Shepard  committee  expressed  the  committee's 
views  as  follows:  "My  committee  begs  to  ex- 
press what  my  church  would  confirm,  their 
appreciation  of  the  Christian  and  courteous 
spirit  in  which  your  committee  has  met  with  us, 
and  to  extend  every  good  wish  for  the  life  and 


264  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

prosperity  of  your  church,  and  of  the  coining 
new  First  Parish  meeting-house."  The  new 
meeting-house  is  still  coining,  but  the  Parish 
House,  the  beautiful  new  interior  of  the  old 
meeting-house,  the  new  organ,  and  the  new  evi- 
dence of  patriotism,  as  old  as  the  oldest  meet- 
ing-house, are  known  to  us  all. 

In  1905,  Miss  Jeannie  Paine  left  over  $200,- 
000  to  our  parish.  The  administration  of  this 
and  other  funds  contributes  in  great  degree  to 
the  comfort  of  the  poor  of  Cambridge.  Mrs. 
Chesley's  connection  with  the  work  since  1905 
has  made  our  Parish  House  a  refuge  to  those 
in  need,  and  a  bright  spot  for  us  all. 

In  1911,  the  church,  existant  but  unincor- 
porated, since  1636  or  earlier,  and  the  congre- 
gation, organized  as  such  in  1867,  were 
merged  into  one  body.  This  gives  us  the 
church — the  ecclesiastical  body,  and  the  parish 
— the  business  body. 

The  calling  to  the  associate  ministry  of  the 
Rev.  Frederick  M.  Eliot  we  know,  as  well  as 
his  able  work  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  in  all 
departments  of  the  church  and  parish.  Be- 
cause of  the  rare  combination  of  a  keen  execu- 
tive and  business  ability,  and  a  deep  and  un- 
usual spirit  of  reverence,  he  has  drawn  about 
him  the  older  members  of  the  church,  and  he 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         265 

has  won  the  loyalty  of  the  young — even  the 
youngest  people.  It  is  with  the  deepest  regret 
that  we  relinquish  him,  and  bid  him  and  Mrs. 
Eliot  God-speed.  In  September,  St.  Paul 
and  the  West  are  to  be  the  richer  for  his 
presence. 

Our  meeting-house  from  the  beginning  has 
held  within  its  four  walls  the  ablest  men  of 
each  succeeding  period  of  history,  and  its  peo- 
ple have  gone  forth  to  put  into  practice  what 
they  have  learned  in  its  pews.  At  the  pres- 
ent time,  its  activities,  through  its  large  num- 
ber of  committees,  spread  through  the  length 
and  breadth  of  this  great  city  an  influence 
which  the  city's  limits  cannot  restrain.  And 
now,  when  the  atmosphere  is  tense  with 
patriotic  zeal,  and  we  know  not  what  the  next 
moment  may  bring  forth,  again  this  church  has 
opened  its  doors,  and  answered  the  call,  as  it 
did  in  the  Revolution,  and  in  the  Civil  War, 
and  now,  as  then,  its  people  will  stand  here  to 
serve,  or  go  forth  to  serve  their  country  and 
the  world. 

I  cannot  speak  of  our  pastor  without  the 
deepest  emotion.  He  stands  to  us  as  our 
leader,  and  the  guiding  spirit  of  every  activity 
of  this  church.  Honored  by  Harvard,  known 
throughout  the  country  for  his  spiritual  power, 


266  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

and  throughout  the  world  of  scholars  for  his 
writing,  he  modestly  seeks  to  hide  himself  be- 
hind the  works  of  his  church.  With  the  broad- 
est vision,  walking  above  and  before,  yet  al- 
ways with  us,  he  would  lead  us  into  paths 
where  there  is  no  strife,  no  war,  but  justice, 
and  always  strength  and  resultant  peace.  May 
his  eyes  behold,  in  this  twentieth  century, 
which  has  brought  us  the  greatest  war  the 
world  has  ever  known — the  most  peaceful  rev- 
olution the  world  has  ever  known — ^may  his 
eyes  behold  the  greatest  peace  the  world  has 
ever  known  1 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         267 


ANNIVERSARY  HYMN 

O  God,  the  record  of  our  days 

In  Thy  great  book  appears, 
And  now  we  offer  Thee  the  praise 

Of  five  and  seventy  years. 

The  plant  our  saintly  founder  set 

Has  grown  a  goodly  tree. 
And  in  its  kindly  shelter  met 

We  lift  our  song  to  thee. 

No  banner  but  Thy  love  we  need. 

No  trumpet  in  our  van; 
God's  Fatherhood  our  only  creed. 

And  brotherhood  of  man. 

So  "in  the  freedom  of  the  truth," 

Led  by  our  Lord  above. 
We  pledge  our  prime,  as  then  our  youth. 

To  worship  and  to  love. 

Edward  A.  Church. 


For  the  Seventy-flfth 
Anniversary  of 
the  Church  of  the  Disciples, 
April  27,  19ie. 


268  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

CHURCH  OF  THE  DISCIPLES 

On  the  7th  of  January,  1841,  James  Free- 
man Clarke  wrote  to  his  sister,  "I  agree  with 
those  who  think  it  a  good  time  to  form  a  new 
congregation  in  Boston." 

Acting  upon  this  conviction,  a  series  of 
meetings  was  held  for  conversation  and  discus- 
sion in  the  parlors  of  people  interested  in  the 
new  movement.  These  gatherings  are  re- 
membered by  Miss  Lucia  M.  Peabody,  who 
has  been  associated  with  the  Church  of  the 
Disciples  from  its  earhest  beginnings  to  the 
present  day.  Her  father's  house  on  Bowdoin 
Street  was  one  of  the  homes  opened  for  the 
early  meetings. 

After  several  of  these  parlor  conferences  a 
chapel  on  Phillips  Place,  which  was  off  Tre- 
mont  Street,  just  north  of  Beacon,  was  hired, 
and  was  occupied  for  four  Sundays.  This 
chapel  proving  too  small,  Amory  Hall  was 
secured,  an  audience-room  up  two  flights,  in  a 
building  on  the  northern  corner  of  Washington 
and  West  Streets. 

The  Church  of  the  Disciples  was  organized 
April  27  upon  the  simple  "faith  in  Jesus  as 
the  Christ,"  and  the  single  purpose  to  form  a 
church  in  which  all  might  "co-operate  together 


CHURCHES    OP    GREATER    BOSTON         269 

in  the  study  and  practice  of  Christianity." 
This  covenant  was  signed  by  forty-six  names, 
and  sixteen  others  were  added  within  a  month. 

For  seven  years  the  society  worshipped  in  a 
succession  of  places,  chiefly  in  Amory  Hall, 
Ritchie  Hall,  and  in  the  Masonic  Temple  on 
Tremont  Street,  corner  of  Temple  Place. 
Sunday  services  were  held  in  the  latter  for 
four  years.  During  these  seven  years,  regular 
Wednesday  evening  meetings  were  held  at  the 
homes  of  parishioners,  for  religious  study  and 
for  the  discussion  of  matter  pertaining  to  the 
society  and  to  the  public  needs  of  the  day. 

Freeman  Place  Chapel,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing on  the  top  of  Beacon  Hill,  was  then  built, 
and  dedicated  March  15,  1848. 

But  Mr.  Clarke's  long  illness  and  absence 
from  Boston  finally  led  to  the  sale  of  this 
building.  He  returned  in  the  autumn  of  1853, 
and  resumed  his  pastorate  Jan.  1,  1854,  in 
Williams  Hall,  corner  of  Washington  and 
Dover  Streets,  where  services  were  held  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  year. 

On  Jan.  28,  1855,  the  Church  of  the  Dis- 
ciples came  into  the  possession  of  the  Indiana 
Place  Chapel,  uniting  with  the  society  gath- 
ered there  seven  years  before,  by  the  Rev. 
Thomas  B.  Fox. 


270  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

The  next  removal  was  to  the  new  house  on 
West  Brookhne  Street  and  Warren  Avenue, 
first  occupied  Christmas  Day,  1868,  and  dedi- 
cated Feb.  28,  1869.  Here  Mr.  Clarke 
preached  the  remaining  nineteen  years  of  his 
life,  and  here  Mr.  Ames  succeeded  to  the  pas- 
torate, Jan.  1,  1889.  The  last  service  in 
Brookline  Street  was  held  June  25,  1905.  The 
corner-stone  of  the  Peterborough  Street 
building  was  laid  Oct.  14,  1904;  the  first  serv- 
ice was  held  Oct.  1,  1905;  the  dedication  oc- 
curred Nov.  19,  1905. 

Through  the  winters  of  1910-11  the  church 
was  overshadowed  by  the  increasing  illness 
and  disability  of  its  beloved  pastor,  Charles 
Gordon  Ames,  who  gave  up  his  active  work  in 
December,  1909.  His  long  and  blessed  pas- 
torate ended  in  1912,  when  he  died  on  April 
15.  Abraham  Mitrie  Rihbany  had  been 
chosen  as  his  associate  early  in  1911  and  he  was 
installed  as  minister  of  the  church  on  May  18, 
1911. 

This,  in  brief,  is  the  story  of  the  Church  of 
the  Disciples  from  its  founding  in  1841,  until 
the  present  time.  The  history  of  the  church 
has  been  chiefly  the  story  of  the  lives  of  its 
ministers. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  paper  to  repeat 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         271 

the  long  and  interesting  story  of  the  life  of 
James  Freeman  Clarke  from  the  time  of  his 
birth  on  April  4,  1810,  in  Hanover,  N.  H. 
(where  his  parents  were  temporarily  residing) , 
to  his  death  in  the  gracious  ripeness  of  years, 
in  full  trust  of  the  heavenly  protection,  June 
8,  1888.  That  narrative  has  been  charmingly 
told  in  its  earlier  years,  through  autobiog- 
raphy, and  in  its  later  years,  through  the 
"Biographical  Sketches,"  written  by  Edward 
Everett  Hale.  But  rather  its  aim  is  to  empha- 
size certain  traits  in  a  man  who  has  left  his 
mark  so  strongly  upon  his  day  and  generation, 
that  his  memory  never  fades.  His  life  here  in 
this  world  continually  advances,  bearing  fruit 
more  and  more  abundantly. 

What  were  the  elements  that  entered  into 
that  life?  He  had  a  rich  moral  and  intel- 
lectual inheritance, — a  father  reserved  and 
versatile ;  a  mother  so  social  that  she  could  not 
go  a  mile  or  two  from  her  home  without  re- 
turning all  aglow  with  descriptions  of  the  in- 
teresting people  she  had  met, — a  woman  who 
when  the  father's  business  failed  could  open 
her  home  on  Beacon  Hill  and  fill  it  with  such 
choice  SDirits  as  Jared  Sparks,  Horace  Mann, 
and  the  three  daughters  of  Nathaniel  Peabody. 
Mr.  Clarke  says,  "I  do  not  know  when  we  were 


272  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

happier  than  in  those  days.  We  were  all  poor, 
but  all  who  could  were  doing  something  to 
support  themselves."  "Give  me  neither  pov- 
erty nor  riches"  was  Mr.  Clarke's  ideal  of  the 
proper  environment  for  growing  youth.  He 
was  himself  fortunate  in  living  in  just  that 
kind  of  environment.  When  he  was  six  weeks 
old,  his  mother  brought  him  from  Hanover  to 
the  old  homestead  in  Newton  where  she  re- 
mained with  him  for  a  season.  From  that 
time  onward  his  home  was  with  his  grandpar- 
ents. We  can  not  over-estimate  the  influence 
of  this  early  home.  His  grandfather,  James 
Freeman,  was  his  companion  and  teacher  from 
the  first.  Before  the  age  of  ten,  he  was  read- 
ing the  classics  with  ease.  Charming,  indeed, 
is  the  picture  of  the  young  boy,  spending  his 
half  holiday,  entranced  with  the  first  reading 
of  Marmion.  He  says,  "As  the  sun  was  set- 
ting, I  reached  the  end  of  the  poem,  and  in  the 
farewell  verses  read  with  astonishment  these 
lines : 

"To  thee,  dear  school-boy,  whom  my  lay 
Has  cheated  of  thy  hour  of  play, — 
Light  task  and  merry  holiday," 

and  it  seemed  as  if  Scott  were  close  beside  me, 
talking  to  me  in  person." 

This  early  love  of  poetry  shows  the  bent  of 


CHURCHES    OP    GREATER    BOSTON         278 

his  mind,  which  Dr.  Frederick  H.  Hedge  in 
later  years  tells  us  was  the  chief  source  of  his 
power.  Dr.  Hedge  says:  "You  do  not  get  a 
true  estimate  of  Clarke  unless  you  see  him  as  a 
poet."  He  approached  all  subjects  from  the 
poetical  side,  and  this  poetical  habit  of  look- 
ing at  everything  gave  him  the  fairness  which 
was  one  of  his  chief  characteristics.  "The  rest 
of  us  have  written  as  though  we  were  philoso- 
phers," continues  Dr.  Hedge;  "Clarke  always 
wrote,  no  matter  how  dull  his  subject,  as  a  poet 
writes."  Judging  from  the  hymns  and  poems 
he  has  left  to  us,  we  can  not  doubt  that  had 
James  Freeman  Clarke  been  free  to  cultivate 
his  poetic  gift,  the  world  would  have  had  an- 
other great  poet.  Those  who  have  sat  under 
the  spell  of  his  preaching,  or  felt  the  very  spirit 
lifted  to  heaven  by  his  prayer,  or  have  known 
the  power  of  his  written  word  are  quite  content 
to  know  this  gifted  man  forever  as  the  poet- 
preacher.  His  hymn,  "Father  to  us,  thy  chil- 
dren humbly  kneeling"  has  become  endeared 
to  all  our  churches,  while  "Cana,"  which  is  less 
widely  known,  has  a  beauty  that  is  un- 
surpassed. 

In  his  college  life  at  Harvard,  James  Free- 
man Clarke  rejoiced  in  the  intimate  compan- 
ionship of  William  Henry  Channing,  Oliver 


274  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

Wendell  Holmes  and  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 
He  knew  Margaret  Fuller,  that  remarkable 
young  woman  who  resided  in  Cambridge,  and 
whose  conversational  powers  gave  strength 
and  delight  to  all  who  knew  her.  His  views 
of  education  were  advanced  for  his  day.  He 
deplored  the  time  wasted  in  listening  to  reci- 
tations for  the  sake  of  stirring  to  emulation, 
when  time  could  be  better  spent  in  presenting 
new  subjects  of  interest  and  new  motives  for 
attainment. 

After  graduating  at  Harvard,  and  finishing 
his  studies  at  the  Divinity  School,  he  chose  a 
western  church  for  his  first  parish.  In  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  whither  he  had  travelled  long 
distances  by  stage  and  by  boat,  he  preached 
extemporaneously  that  first  sermon  upon  the 
text,  "whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it 
with  all  thy  might."  After  this  halting 
preaching  was  over,  he  went  to  his  room,  dis- 
heartened. No  one  had  spoken  a  word  of  en- 
couragement, and  he  despaired  of  being  able 
to  keep  on  with  his  work.  It  seems  that  the 
parish  did  talk  him  over  as  a  decidedly  hope- 
less case,  but  felt  that  there  was  something 
worth  while  in  his  prayer,  and  concluded  to 
give  him  further  trial.  He  improved  contin- 
ually, and  his  charm  of  personality  soon  won 


CHURCHES  OF  GREATER  BOSTON    275 


the  friendship  of  his  parish.  He  became  su- 
perintendent of  schools,  and  his  influence  grew 
steadily  among  all  the  people.  He  suffered 
much  from  home-sickness,  though  his  life  was 
greatly  cheered  and  enriched  by  a  remarkable 
correspondence.  The  letters  from  friends  at 
home  were  full  of  interesting  accounts  of  all 
that  was  going  on  in  the  Boston  of  that  day. 
His  loneliness  was  not  for  long,  for  he  was 
soon  blessed  by  that  companionship  of  a  noble 
woman  which  strengthened  and  cheered  all  the 
years  of  his  earthly  life.  The  Huidekopers,  a 
family  of  liberal  tendencies,  rich  in  resources 
of  every  kind,  had  left  their  home  in  Holland 
and  located  in  Meadville,  Pennsylvania.  Here 
they  planted  a  Unitarian  church,  and  laid  the 
foundations  of  a  theological  school.  James 
Freeman  Clarke  was  invited  to  preach  at 
Meadville,  and  while  there  he  formed  the 
friendship  of  this  family  and  won  the  abiding 
love  of  the  true  and  beautiful  Anna  Huide- 
koper.  This  companionship  was  full  of  rich 
meaning  to  the  future  Church  of  the  Disciples. 

James  Freeman  Clarke  writes  to  Mrs. 
Clarke  from  Louisville : 

"I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  one  thing  con- 
clusively, not  to  commit  myself  hastily  to  any 
new  situation  or  work.     What  I  next  imder- 


276  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

take,  I  wish  to  continue  at  through  life.  If 
I  know  myself  I  wish  to  be  useful,  and  what- 
ever I  do,  I  wish  preaching  always  to  be  my 
chief  work.  I  love  my  profession,  see  my  de- 
ficiencies, see  my  capabilities,  and  expect  and 
intend  to  improve." 

Later  in  speaking  of  a  free  church,  he  writes, 
"This  is  no  new  idea  with  me.  I  have  been 
studying  and  preparing  for  it  for  years,  and 
I  have  full  faith  that  it  can  be  effected." 

It  is  very  interesting  to  us  who  have  been 
associated  with  the  Church  of  the  Disciples,  to 
trace  the  early  beginnings  of  its  history,  to 
think  of  the  initiative  power  of  the  young 
minister  of  thirty-one,  which  made  the  church 
possible,  to  follow  the  conversations  with  Wil- 
liam Ellery  Channing  and  with  other  gifted 
men,  and  finally  to  read  the  record  of  that 
thrilling  meeting  on  April  27,  1841,  at  which 
the  declaration  of  faith  was  discussed  and 
voted  upon. 

"We  whose  names  are  subscribed  unite  in 
the  following  faith  and  purpose: 

Our  faith  is  in  Jesus  as  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God,  and  we  do  hereby  form  ourselves  into 
a  Church  of  his  Disciples  that  we  may  co- 
operate together  in  the  study  and  practice  of 
Christianity." 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         277 

We  determined  to  have  no  other  organiza- 
tion, not  to  organize  as  a  rehgious  society  up- 
on the  money  basis.  "By  the  social  principle, 
I  mean,"  said  James  Freeman  Clarke,  "fre- 
quent meetings  for  conversation  on  religious 
subjects.  By  the  voluntary  principle,  no  pews 
sold,  rented,  or  taxed,  but  worship  supported 
by  voluntary  subscriptions.  By  the  congre- 
gational principle,  I  mean  that  the  congrega- 
tion should  join  in  the  hymns  and  prayers." 

Our  yoimg  people,  yesterday,  in  the  driving 
wind  and  falling  snow,  retraced  the  story  of 
the  Church  of  the  Disciples  from  this  new 
church  building  on  Peterborough  Street  to  the 
old  familiar  home  on  West  Brookline  Street, 
and  on  to  the  sites  of  Indiana  Place  Chapel, 
Amory  Hall,  PhilHps  Place  Chapel,  Freeman 
Place  Chapel  and  finally  to  the  old  home  of 
Miss  Lucia  M.  Peabody  on  Bowdoin  Street. 
They  sang  hymns  at  the  homes  of  Miss  Lilian 
Freeman  Clarke  and  Miss  Annette  P.  Rogers, 
whose  lives  are  closely  linked  with  our  history. 

It  is  interesting  to  dwell  upon  the  period  of 
our  church  history  which  centered  about  In- 
diana Place  Chapel.  When  this  chapel  was 
secured  from  the  society  which  had  been  gath- 
ered there  by  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Fox,  its  life 
began  to  grow  rapidly. 


278  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

Mr.  Clarke  was  surrounded  by  a  remarkable 
group  of  people.  Here  were  held  the  never 
to  be  forgotten  "Wednesday  evening  meet- 
ings" at  which  subjects  pertaining  to  rehgion 
and  to  moral  welfare  were  discussed: 

"What  is  doing  for  the  poor?" 
"What  is  doing  for  children?" 
"What  is  doing  for  animals?" 

John  A.  Andrew,  who  had  been  attracted  to 
the  Church  of  the  Disciples  by  Mr.  Clarke's 
preaching,  writes  in  a  letter  to  a  friend: 

"He  has  the  best  mind,  style,  and  everything 
for  a  minister  that  is  a-going.  He  is  logical, 
sensible,  earnest,  pious,  forcible,  solemn,  quiet 
and  calm;  in  fine  my  beau-ideal  of  a  pulpit 
orator,  and  a  private  gentleman  and  a  Chris- 
tian." 

At  the  fiftieth  birthday  of  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  celebrated  at  Indiana  Place  Chapel, 
Governor  Andrew  says:  "I  confess  for  myself 
that  I  do  not  know  how  I  could  over-estimate 
the  influence  of  this  home  of  the  soul  on  the 
happiness  and  welfare  of  my  life.  Amid  all 
distractions,  and  griefs,  and  bewilderments,  I 
have  seen  the  vision  of  this  temple,  and  heard 
its  calm  voice  and  helpful  wisdom,  encourag- 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         279 

ing,  winning,  teaching,  and  strengthening  the 
love  of  the  best  goodness  and  the  highest 
truth." 

The  thirteen  years  in  Indiana  Place  are  re- 
membered to-day  with  thrilling  interest.  There 
the  trying  days  of  the  Civil  War  called  forth 
the  noble  patriotism  of  minister  and  people. 
Great  sermons  were  preached  that  called  all  to 
stand  by  one  another  in  those  dark  hours  that 
the  nation  might  be  safe.  After  the  attack  on 
Fort  Sumter,  said  Mr.  Clarke  the  following 
Sunday  in  his  pulpit:  "This  is  a  sort  of  Pente- 
costal day,  in  which  the  whole  multitude  are  of 
one  heart  and  one  soul;  nor  says  anyone  that 
aught  that  he  possesses  is  his  own,  but  'we  have 
all  things  in  common.'  "  Whenever  anything 
very  discouraging  happened,  Mr.  Clarke  was 
full  of  hope  and  courage,  giving  out  for  the 
first  hymn: 

"Give  to  the  winds  thy  fears^ 
Hope  and  be  undismayed.'' 

When  all  hearts  were  saddened  by  the  as- 
sassination of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  churches 
throughout  the  city  were  draped  in  black,  the 
congregation  at  Indiana  Place  Chapel  felt  the 
gloom  lift  as  they  entered  the  church  and  be- 


280  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

held  the  altar  draped  in  the  richest  purple 
decorated  with  lilies. 

Besides  John  A.  Andrew,  always  the  friend 
of  the  negro,  the  society  had  as  members  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  EUis  Gray  Loring,  Mrs.  Juha  Ward 
Howe,  and  many  others  of  distinguished  per- 
sonahty.  Mrs.  Howe's  "Battle  Hymn  of  the 
Repubhc"  was  written  on  that  famous  visit  to 
Washington  during  this  period  of  our  church 
history. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War,  the  freed 
negroes  were  left  by  their  masters  in  South 
Carohna  and  elsewhere.  Our  church  sent  more 
than  one  teacher  to  the  South  to  teach  these 
freed  men.  Our  friend.  Miss  Botume,  who 
went  in  1864,  made  it  her  life  work.  She  lived 
for  more  than  forty  winters  in  the  South  car- 
rying on  a  work  very  close  to  the  heart  of  our 
minister. 

But  we  must  not  hnger  in  these  earlier  days. 
At  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  the  church, 
held  in  the  West  Brookline  Street  church  two 
years  after  the  coming  of  Mr.  Ames  as  our 
minister,  Mr.  William  C.  Williamson  quoted 
Mr.  Clarke's  own  words  as  follows: 

"I  am  grateful  for  being  permitted  to  be- 
long to  a  church  which  has  kept  its  doors  and 
seats  open  to  all,  where  the  stranger  is  made  to 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         281 

feel  at  home,  where  there  are  no  distinctions 
and  no  separation, — a  church  which  is  not  man- 
aged by  a  few  pew-owners,  but  by  all  the  so- 
ciety, both  men  and  women ;  which  has  a  large 
nucleus  of  permanent  members,  but  also  a  new 
congregation  each  Sunday  for  transient 
guests;  which  has  contained  all  shades  of 
poHtical,  religious,  and  social  differences,  but 
where  all  are  brothers  and  sisters,  and  where 
there  is  small  chance  of  inward  dissension, 
since,  if  any  one  is  dissatisfied,  not  being  an- 
chored by  a  pew,  he  can  go  quietly  elsewhere, 
and  find  a  church  home  which  suits  him  better. 

"Among  our  most  valued  members  have 
been  those  who,  favored  by  circumstances,  have 
had  hearts  yet  larger  than  their  means,  like 
two  of  our  founders,  Mr.  Samuel  Cabot  and 
Mr.  Henry  B.  Rogers.  Others  whom  we  love 
and  honor  are  hard-working  people,  working 
for  others,  and  helping  to  support  a  parent  or 
educate  younger  brothers  and  sisters.  Of  one 
such,  years  ago,  her  nephew  spoke  to  me  after 
church  as  *Aunt  Mary.'  Governor  Andrew, 
who  was  standing  near,  said  to  him:  *She  is 
closer  to  us  than  that, — she  is  our  Sister 
Mary.' " 

We  like  to  remember  that  Dr.  Clarke  called 
the  West  Brookline  Street  Church  the  home 


282  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

of  his  soul.  Here  he  preached  his  great  ser- 
mons on  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  sermon  on  the 
"Five  Points  of  Calvinism"  and  the  "Five 
Points  of  the  New  Theology,"  and  that  re- 
markable succession  of  sermons,  year  after 
year,  that  appeared  in  the  Saturday  Evening 
Gazette. 

The  sermon  on  the  "Five  Points"  gave  the 
basis  for  the  pubhcation  of  the  statement  of 
"Our  Faith"  which  appeared  in  later  years, 
and  which  has  had  a  wide  distribution  in  our 
own  country  and  in  England.  The  five,  points 
are  as  follows: 

The  Fatherhood  of  God 
The  Brotherhood  of  Man 
The  Leadership  of  Jesus 
Salvation  by  Character 
The  Progress   of   Mankind    Onward   and 
Upward  Forever. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  charitable  work 
which  took  beginning  and  grew  in  this  church: 
The  Children's  Aid  Society,  the  Home  for 
Aged  Colored  Women,  the  South  End  Indus- 
trial School,  Miss  Botume's  work  for  the 
South,  Mrs.  Thacher's  Book  Mission,  Miss 
Clarke's  Post  Office  Mission  and  Cheerful 
Letter    work,  and  her  work    for  Destitute 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         283 

Mothers  and  Infants,  the  New  England  Hos- 
pital for  Women  and  Children,  nor  can  we 
ever  forget  the  large  Mission  Sunday  School, 
with  WiUiam  H.  Baldwin  superintendent, 
which  brought  together  some  three  or  four 
hundred  children  from  Sunday  to  Sunday. 

From  the  beginning,  the  great  work  of 
Tuskegee  was  encom-aged  and  supported, 
while  the  support  of  our  American  Unitarian 
Association  was  placed  first  of  all. 

When  we  think  of  the  large  number  of 
books  written  by  Dr.  Clarke,  we  recall  the  line 
in  Dr.  Holmes's  poem  written  for  the  Seven- 
tieth Birthday: 

"His  labors, — ^will  they  ever  cease, — 
With  hand  and  tongue  and  pen?" 

Among  the  many  books,  perhaps  those  best 
known  are  The  Christian  Doctrine  of  Prayer, 
Self-Culture,  Truths  and  Errors  of  Ortho- 
doxy, Ten  Great  Religions,  Essentials  and 
Non-Essentials,  Everyday  Religion,  Thomas 
Didymus,  The  Apostle  Paul. 

After  the  twenty-eight  years  which  have 
passed  since  the  death  of  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  shall  we  not  ask,  with  Mrs.  Julia  Ward 
Howe,  the  searching  question  in  her  centenary 
poem  and  find  with  her  an  answer: 


284  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

"Lifting  from  the  past  its  veil. 
What  of  his  does  now  avail? 
Just  a  mirror  in  his  breast 
That  revealed  a  heav'nly  guest. 
Just  the  love  that  made  us  free. 
Of  the  same  high  company. 
This  he  brought  us,  this  he  left. 
When  we  were  of  him  bereft." 

Looking  into  this  mirror  of  his  life  we  be- 
hold reverence,  truth,  fairness,  conviction, 
faith  even  unto  death,  hope  and  courage,  love 
for  humanity  and  love  of  country,  all  blended 
with  a  saving  gift  of  humor,  a  commonsense, 
an  equihbrium  of  impulse  and  judgment  and 
a  belief  in  prayer  beyond  compare.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  choose  from  the  richness  of  his  thought 
the  few  selections  that  shall  speak  his  message. 

The  following  may  give  a  suggestion  of  his 
wisdom  and  his  power.  He  says  of  travel: 
"There  is  no  way  to  get  rid  of  our  ignorance 
and  narrowness  but  by  going  to  see  other  parts 
of  the  country  with  our  own  eyes.  All  the 
union  meetings  ever  held  do  not  do  half  so 
much  to  preserve  the  union  as  a  single  rail- 
road." 

He  gives  this  charge  at  an  ordination: 

"Finally,  my  brother,  I  charge  you  to  study 
and  preach  Christ.     You  will  find   God  in 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         285 

Nature  and  in  History.  You  will  find  God  in 
the  intuition  of  eternal  truth  which  moves  your 
own  soul,  but  except  you  also  preach  God  in 
Christ,  there  is  a  large  portion  of  human  ex- 
perience before  which  you  will  stand  helpless." 

His  love  of  humanity  shines  in  the  familiar 
passage : 

"Of  all  the  holy  things  which  God  has  made, 
the  most  holy  is  man  himself.  He  is  the  tem- 
ple of  God;  for  the  spirit  of  God  dwells  in 
him,  and  wherever  a  human  being  stands,  there 
stands  something  greater  than  the  Temple  at 
Jerusalem." 

He  treats  of  hell  as  a  condition  of  the  soul 
which  has  awakened  to  a  sense  of  its  own  im- 
perfections, a  condition  beyond  that  state  from 
which  the  soul  was  aroused,  a  condition  mark- 
ing progress.  He  says:  "God's  hell,  like 
God's  heaven,  is  above  us,  not  below  us.  We 
go  up  to  it,  not  down." 

With  Dr.  Clarke  the  poetical  side  of  thought 
was  closely  allied  with  the  spiritual.  He  was 
timidly  sensitive  about  making  his  poems  and 
hymns  public.  He  had  a  strong  feeling  of  the 
peculiar  sacredness  of  prayer.  This  led  him  to 
advocate  the  making  of  attendance  at  prayers 
voluntary  at  Harvard  College,  when  he  stood 
quite  alone  in  this  view.     At  this  time  he  made 


286  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

a  better  argument  in  favor  of  retaining  the  old 
system  than  was  made  by  any  of  those  who 
were  its  advocates,  and  then  concluded: 

"These  reasons  would  be  cogent  if  it  were 
not  for  one  which  I  regard  as  final.  If  I  un- 
derstand the  teachings  of  Jesus,  prayer  is  too 
sacred  a  thing  to  be  used  for  any  secondary 
purpose,  however  good." 

His  sympathetic  spirit  understood  every 
form  of  evil.     He  writes  of  idolatry: 

"I  would  be  very  tender  of  any  idolatry.  I 
often  find  people  adoring  very  enthusiastically 
books  or  artists  or  people  who  to  me  seem  poor 
and  empty.  But  I  am  very  careful  not  rudely 
to  criticise  their  faith.  They  think  some 
poetaster  to  be  a  great  poet.  Be  it  so.  I  will 
not  say  a  word  against  it.  They  are  groping 
after  pearls.  They  think  a  man  a  great  ora- 
tor, and  burn  with  enthusiasm  for  him;  while 
to  me  he  appears  only  a  rhetorician,  a  man  of 
words.  They  admire  a  preacher  who  to  me 
seems  talking  verbiage  and  commonplaces. 
Well,  who  knows  what  real  religion  may  come 
to  them  through  this  channel?  We  have  this 
treasure  in  earthen  vessels.  I  will  not  be  an 
iconoclast,  except  when  absolutely  necessary. 
If  truth  requires  me  to  blow  a  jarring  and 
dissonant  blast,  I  will  do  it,  but  not  otherwise. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         287 

Idolatry,  in  the  divine  order,  may  be  the  first 
step  to  true  religion.  Let  it  not  be  unclothed, 
but  clothed  upon." 

The  following  letter  written  to  a  minister  of 
another  faith  shows  his  commonsense  in  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  outward  forms  of  reli- 
gion, and  his  strong  belief  in  the  power  of  es- 
sentials over  the  non-essentials: 

"Dear  Brother  Wright: — Let  me  introduce  to  you  my 

friend  and  parishioner,  Mr.  ,  for  whom  I  ask  the 

privilege  of  attending  some  of  your  prayer  and  confer- 
ence  meetings — if  you   continue   to   hold  them  at  this 

season.    Ours  are  discontinued,  but  I  think  that  Mr. 

needs  the  strength  that  often  comes  to  us  from  such 
communion.  I  am  sure  that  you  will  not  welcome  him 
the  less  heartily  because  he  is  a  member  of  our  church 
and  proposes  to  continue  such.  There  are  many  reasons 
why  he  should  do  so;  nevertheless,  I  do  not  think  our 
church  can  supply  him  just  now  with  all  he  wants,  and 
perhaps  in  yours  he  may  find  some  added  strength.  I 
know  that  this  is  an  unusual  proceeding,  but  I  think  it  is 
a  right  thing  to  do.  I  have  no  doubt  that  there  are  many 
persons  in  most  churches  who  would  be  helped,  for  a 
time  at  least,  by  trying  the  ministration  of  some  other. 
Why  should  we  not  say  to  such  members :  *Go  and  see  if 
you  cannot  get  some  good  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  or 
the  Methodist, — something  which  we  cannot  give  you?* 
It  might  not  be  the  best  way  to  build  up  a  sect,  but  it 
might  build  up  Christianity. 

Sincerely  yours, 

James  Freeman  Clarke." 


288  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

To  a  spirit  abounding  with  life,  even  the 
shadows  of  death  were  "Protecting  Shadows," 
and  he  could  cheerily  sing: 

"Be  happy  now  and  ever, 
Since  from  the  love  divine 
No  power  the  soul  can  sever." 

Among  the  many  tributes  to  his  memory, 
none  was  more  complete,  none  more  sympa- 
thetic with  the  all-round  development  of  this 
gifted  preacher  and  friend  than  that  of  Phil- 
lips Brooks,  who  poured  forth  his  soul  in  a 
sermon  preached  in  Trinity  Church  the  Sun- 
day immediately  following  the  word  of  the 
death  of  Dr.  Clarke : 

"He  belonged  to  the  whole  church  of  Christ. 
Through  him  his  master  spoke  to  all  that  had 
ears  to  hear.  Especially  he  was  a  living,  per- 
petual epistle  to  the  Church  of  God  which  is  in 
Boston.  It  is  a  beautiful,  a  solemn  moment, 
when  the  city,  the  church,  the  world  gathers  up 
the  completeness  of  a  finished  life  like  his,  and 
thanks  God  for  it,  and  places  it  in  the  shrine  of 
memory  to  be  a  power  and  a  revelation  thence- 
forth so  long  as  city  and  church  and  world 
shall  last.  It  is  not  the  losing,  it  is  rather  the 
gaining,  the  assuring  of  his  life, — whatever  he 
has  gone  to  in  the  great  mystery  beyond,  he 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         289 

remains  a  word  of  God  here  in  the  world  he 
loved.  Let  us  thank  our  Heavenly  Father  for 
the  life,  the  work,  the  inspiration  of  his  true 
servant,  his  true  saint,  James  Freeman 
Clarke." 

We  can  not  leave  this  sketch  of  the  life  of 
the  founder  of  the  Church  of  the  Disciples 
without  paying  our  reverent  tribute  to  his  ideal 
marriage,  and  expressing  our  admiration  of 
that  truly  beautiful  woman  whose  presence 
blessed  the  Church  of  the  Disciples  for  nearly 
fifty  years.  Shall  we  not  let  Dr.  Ames  say 
the  word  for  us  here  and  now  which  he  spoke 
in  the  pulpit  of  the  West  Brookline  Street 
Church  on  Sunday,  April  4,  1897,  in  remem- 
brance of  Anna  Huidekoper  Clarke? 

"For  nearly  half  a  century  a  noble  and 
faithful  woman  moved  by  the  side  of  James 
Freeman  Clarke,  as  a  companion  loved  and 
trusted,  a  wise  counselor,  a  glad  sharer  of  his 
labors  and  aspirations,  and  the  good  angel  of 
his  life.  Last  Friday  evening,  as  the  sun  sank 
into  the  West,  she  passed  peacefully  to  join 
him  in  their  new  home,  and  their  new  career  of 
service  and  of  joy.  These  nine  years  she  has 
lingered  among  us,  passing  softly  in  and  out 
from  this  house  of  worship  that  she  loved,  a 
beautiful,  honored,  and  sacred  presence,  and 


290  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

already  she  is  a  memory.     But  we  shall  think 
of  them,  almost  we  shall  see  them,  as  a  shining 
pair,  forever  happy,  and  forever  young.    For 
surely  they,  if  any,  will 
'Walk  in  soft,  white  light,   with  kings  and 

priests  abroad. 
And  summer  high,  in  bliss,  upon  the  hills  of 
God.' " 

We  now  come  to  that  fruitful  period  of  the 
history  of  the  Church  of  the  Disciples  made 
memorable  by  the  ministry  of  Charles  Gordon 
Ames.  Again  we  have  a  great  man  so  closely 
identified  with  the  life  of  the  church  that  the 
story  of  his  ministry  is  church  history. 

The  feeling  of  James  Freeman  Clarke  for 
the  friend  who  became  his  successor  is  shown 
in  the  following  paragraph  taken  from  a  letter 
written  by  Dr.  Clarke  to  this  dear  friend  in  the 
earlier  years  of  their  friendship.    He  writes: 

"Here  are  you  in  California  and  I  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  your  scrap  of  writing  makes 
my  heart  vibrate,  and  a  thrill  of  sympathy  with 
you  goes  through  me.  So  it  would  be  if  you 
were  in  Sirius  and  I  in  Nebula.  A  glacial 
period  might  intervene  and  encompass  the 
earth  with  ice,  forty  miles  thick,  but  it  would 
not  freeze  up  permanently  human  affections. 
When  thawed  out  after  three  hundred  and 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         291 

fifty  thousand  years,  I  should  yawn  and  say: 
*But  where  is  Ames  all  this  time?'  " 

The  love  and  admiration  of  the  congregation 
for  its  new  minister,  Charles  Gordon  Ames, 
was  summed  up  at  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
the  church  by  one  of  the  original  members,  Mr. 
Henry  Williams : 

"Two  short  years  have  passed,  and  we  all 
feel,  I  think,  tonight,  that  we  have  been  greatly 
blessed  in  the  choice  of  a  successor  to  him 
whose  life  work  was  so  identified  with  this  so- 
ciety. The  strength  of  the  church  has  been 
steadily  increasing,  all  its  former  activities 
have  been  kept  up,  and  seventy-four  names 
during  this  period  have  .been  added  to  our 
church  book.  Our  new  pastor  has  made  for 
himself  a  place  in  our  hearts.  Besides  this,  he 
has  always  spoken  to  our  reason  and  intelli- 
gence and  to  our  deepest  religious  convictions. 
Without  these  two  gains  our  cup  were  only 
half  full.  These  are  not  words  of  praise,  much 
less  of  flattery;  they  are  words  of  very  truth 
and  soberness.  I  could  not  say  less,  and  I 
may  not  say  more  in  his  presence." 

How  much  the  more,  after  twenty-three 
years  of  ministry,  do  similar  words  of  appre- 
ciation come  to  our  lips!  And  how  Mrs. 
Ames's  name  shines  also  in  retrospect  as  with 


292  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

grateful  hearts  we  turn  to  her  at  this  Seventy- 
fifth  Anniversary  season,  and  try  to  thank  her 
for  all  she  has  been  to  us!  What  a  wonderful 
story  she  could  tell  us  of  those  California  days, 
those  drives  among  the  mountains  to  visit 
churches  hungering  for  the  Bread  of  Life.  If 
Dr.  Clarke  helped  the  Christian  ministry  by 
growing  in  one  place,  Dr.  Ames  helped  equal- 
ly by  obeying  the  call  which  stirred  him  to  go 
forth  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature. 
The  church  needed  the  steady  growth  of  its 
founder  to  enable  it  to  put  down  its  roots  se- 
curely. It  needed  the  ministry  of  Charles 
Gordon  Ames  that  it  might  grow  into  a  goodly 
tree.  In  Dr.  Ames's  ministry  came  the  great 
growth  of  the  Disciples  Branch  of  the  Wo- 
man's Alliance,  led  by  Mrs.  Ames.  In  his 
ministry  came  the  foundation  of  the  Disciples 
School,  with  its  graded  course  of  study  and  its 
well  organized  groups  of  social  service.  In  his 
ministry  came  the  beginnings  of  a  Committee 
on  Social  Service  which  have  since  developed 
into  manifold  works.  Greatest  of  all  in  his 
ministry  came  the  moving  of  the  church  to  its 
new  home  on  Peterborough  Street  without 
serious  loss  of  membership  and  with  many  new 
gains.  In  this  moving  of  the  church  to  a  new 
location.  Dr.  Ames  showed  remarkable  powers 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         293 

of  leadership.  At  one  of  the  large  meetings 
called  in  the  interest  of  this  undertaking,  Dr. 
Ames  spoke  so  feelingly  of  his  own  attachment 
to  the  West  Brookhne  Street  Church  that 
those  who  believed  in  the  new  plan  began  to 
tremble  lest  he  should  paint  the  picture  of  the 
past  too  glowingly.  At  this  moment  the 
speaker  became  spiritually  strong  and  elo- 
quent, and,  standing  perfectly  erect,  in  the 
dignity  of  his  seventy-eight  years,  declared 
most  fervently:  "But  I  should  not  consider 
myself  worthy  to  stand  here,  as  your  minister, 
if,  having  all  these  sacred  associations  with  this 
place,  I  could  not  put  away  my  personal  feel- 
ings, and  choose  to  do  courageously  and  cheer- 
fully what  the  judgment  of  long  deliberation 
has  convinced  me  to  be  for  the  welfare  of  this 
church."  The  atmosphere  of  doubt  was 
changed  immediately  to  that  of  decision,  and 
all  left  the  meeting  with  the  resolution  to  fol- 
low this  dear  minister  of  truth  and  of  courage 
wherever  he  might  go. 

Dr.  Clarke  and  Dr.  Ames  were  alike  in 
spirit,  but  they  were  different  in  temperament 
and  in  the  emphasis  of  their  preaching.  Like 
Dr.  Clarke,  his  successor  felt  closely  the  power 
of  the  divine  sonship  in  his  own  soul,  which 
he   discloses   to  us   in  that   exquisite    poem. 


294  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

HIDDEN  LIFE 

Since  Eden  it  keeps  the  secret! 

Not  a  flower  beside  it  knows 
To  distil  from  the  day  the  fragrance 

And  beauty  that  floods  the  rose. 

Silently  speeds  the  secret 

From  the  loving  eye  of  the  sun 
To  the  willing  heart  of  the  flower; 

The  life  of  the  twain  is  one. 

Folded  within  my  being, 

A  wonder  to  me  is  taught. 
Too  deep  for  curious  seeing. 

Or  fathom  of  sounding  thought. 

Of  all  sweet  mysteries  holiest! 

Faded  are  rose  and  sun ! 
The  Highest  hides  in  the  lowliest; 

My  Father  and  I  are  one! 

If  one  could  characterize  this  beloved  minis- 
ter and  friend,  would  not  the  story  run  some- 
what like  this?  He  excelled  in  the  great 
quality  of  humanness,  which  was  enhanced  by 
his  power  of  elevating  by  a  touch  of  the  spirit 
the  common  into  the  divine.  One  thinks  of 
Mrs.  Browning's  tribute  to  Euripides,  so  close- 
ly does  it  portray  this  quality  in  our  minister : 

"Our  Euripides,  the  human, 

With  his  droppings  of  warm  tears, 
And  his  touches  of  things  common. 
Till  they  rose  to  touch  the  spheres/' 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         295 

With  our  minister,  the  tears  did  not  over- 
flow, but  the  tenderness  of  spirit  was  ever 
there,  which  made  him  look  searchingly  into 
the  face  of  his  companion  or  of  the  passer-by 
with  the  inward  reminder,  "Think  of  the  beg- 
gar in  the  heart." 

His  spontaneity  of  spirit  and  of  expression 
hfted  many  a  dull  meeting  into  hf e.     His  love 
of  freedom  equalled  his  love  of  humanity. 
"The  sun  set,  but  set  not  his  hope; 
Stars  rose;  his  faith  was  earlier  up." 

He  excelled  in  epigrammatic  speech.  In 
calling  upon  an  over-taxed  yoimg  mother,  he 
exclaimed,  "God's  in  the  air!     Inspire  1" 

In  seeing  one  hesitate  to  cross  a  crowded 
street  he  encouraged,  "The  crossings  are 
ours  I" 

In  beholding  a  small  group  surrounding 
him  in  earnest  conversation  after  a  commimion 
service,  he  admonished,  "Enlarge  the  circle  1" 

In  the  place  of  printing  many  books  were 
great  sermons;  "Sermons  of  Sunrise,"  "As 
Natural  As  Life,"  "How  Souls  Grow,"  and 
"White  Days";  printed  addresses  on  John 
Brown  and  Abraham  Lincoln;  newspaper  ar- 
ticles by  the  hundreds,  and  spoken  addresses 
here  and  there  and  everywhere  by  the  thou- 
sands.    With  Dr.  Clarke,  he  believed  in  the 


296  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

higher  education  of  women  and  in  her  pohtical 
emancipation;  his  voice  in  behalf  of  justice  for 
the  emancipated  slave  was  ever  strong. 

A  few  weeks  ago  the  writer  of  this  paper 
was  asked  to  speak  for  five  minutes  of  Charles 
Gordon  Ames.  It  seemed  best  to  attempt  "A 
Portrait"  in  verse: 

The  form  erect,  the  step  alert, 

The  face  aglow  with  heav'nly  light. 
Majestic  eyes  whose  deeps  assert 

The  steady  power  of  second  sight. 

The  active  brain,  the  glowing  heart. 
The  hand  outstretched  to  others*  woe. 

The  soul  rejoicing  in  its  part 

To  cheer  the  saddened,  raise  the  low. 

The  will  by  constant  practice  trained 
To  serve, — well-guarded  at  command, — 

With  ev'ry  faculty  restrained 

To  measure  forth  the  larger  hand. 

And  yet  a  spirit  so  intense 

When  Freedom's  strongholds  bore  assault. 
He  dared  risk  all  in  her  defence. 

Regardless  of  reproach  or  fault. 

And,  crowning  all,  a  gift  of  wit 

That  served  him  well  for  many  a  mile; 
It  seemed  when  he  was  hardest  hit, 
'Twas  then  he  surest  felt  God's  smile. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         297 

To  him  all  souls  were  close  allied. 

In  crowded  street  or  inmost  shrine; 
Each  heart  he  touched  was  sanctified 

Beyond  the  power  of  mine  and  thine. 

His  wizard  pen,  whose  ceaseless  flow 

Obeyed  a  spirit  wonder-lit. 
Ne'er  faltered  in  the  afterglow ; 

And  every  word  was  "holy  writ !" 

At  threescore  years  his  faith  essayed 

To  match  a  task  fit  for  the  strong; 
The  need  was  great,  and,  undismayed. 

His  blazing  torch  cheered  on  the  throng. 

Disciples  blessed  with  eyes  to  see 

Were  conscious  of  the  new-born  power; 

They  caught  his  flaming  spirit  free. 
And  sped  the  purpose  of  the  hour. 

Threescore-and-ten !     "What  of  the  morn? 

Brave  watchman  on  the  towers  of  truth!" 
Fourscore  the  years;  still  facing  dawn! 

"Good-morrow  to  this  mortal  youth !" 

And  then  those  Indian-summer  days, 

Each  Sunday  lovelier  than  the  last; 
Oh,  blessings  on  Time's  soft  delays ! 

The  long,  brave  pilgrimage  is  past. 

He  welcomed  to  his  pulpit  free 

A  preacher  to  bear  on  the  torch; 
Then,  ling'ring,  found  the  mystic  sea 

And  shores  beyond  the  farthest  notch. 


298  SKETCHES    OF    SOME    HISTORIC 

Great  God,  with  lifted  hearts  of  prayer 

We  pleading  ask  this  highest  gift. 
That  we  such  ministry  might  share. 

One  humble,  human  soul  uplift; 

That  this  great  life  now  speeding  on 

Might  bless  us  in  the  old-time  way; 
A  life  that  Plutarch  smiled  upon. 

Still  marshalling  his  great  array. 

A  life  whatever  worlds  it  reach 

Still  stands  a  Christ  to  humankind; 
Forever  hears  the  call  to  preach. 

Forever  seeks  th'  Eternal  Mind. 

He  preached  with  unwearying  enthusiasm 
until  his  eighty-second  year,  and  hved  to  see 
the  Church  of  the  Disciples  firmly  planted  in 
its  new  home  in  the  Fenway. 

One  day  in  April,  1912,  came  the  tragic 
news  of  the  loss  of  the  "Titanic"  at  sea,  and 
with  it  the  tender,  intimate  word  that  our  min- 
ister in  his  sheltering  home  at  12  Chestnut 
Street  had  gone  to  his  heavenly  rest. 

It  was  so  like  him  to  minister  to  every  soul 
in  distress  that  it  may  not  be  wholly  fanciful 
to  think  of  his  spirit  as  ministering  to  those 
who  in  time  were  so  close  to  him  in  this  great 
experience  of  death.  It  surely  was  a  remark- 
able coincidence  that  his  first  thought  of  death 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         299 

in  an  early  poem  was  the  sinking  of  a  ship. 
He  says  in  "Athanasia": 

"The  ship  may  sink 

And  I  may  drink 
A  hasty  death  in  the  bitter  sea; 

But  all  that  I  leave 

In  my  ocean  grave. 
May  be  slipped  and  spared  and  no  loss  to  me! 

What  care  I 

Though  fall  the  sky. 
And  the  shrivelling  earth  to  a  cinder  turn; 

No  fires  of  doom 

Can  ever  consume 
What  never  was  made  nor  meant  to  burn. 

Let  go  the  breath ! 

There  is  no  death 
To  the  living  soul,  nor  loss,  nor  harm. 

Not  of  the  clod 

Is  the  life  of  God; 
Let  it  mount  as  it  will  from  form  to  form.'* 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  the  two  great 
statements  of  faith  and  of  covenant  most  wide- 
ly used  in  our  Unitarian  churches  were  formu- 
lated by  the  ministers  of  the  Church  of  the 
Disciples,  James  Freeman  Clarke  and  Charles 
Gordon  Ames.  We  have  already  spoken  of 
the  statement  of  "Our  Faith"  by  Dr.  Clarke. 
As  a  companion  to  this  statement,  we  treasure 


300  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

the  covenant  of  Dr.  Ames  upon  which  so  many 
of  our  Unitarian  churches  have  been  founded; 

"In  the  freedom  of  truth  and  in  the  spirit  of 
Jesus  Christ,  we  unite  for  the  worship  of  God 
and  the  Service  of  Man." 

In  a  sketch  written  for  our  Seventy-fifth 
Anniversary  by  George  W.  Thacher,  there  is 
a  fine  word  of  tribute  to  our  present  minister, 
and  a  tender  remembrance  of  the  glorious 
cloud  of  witnesses,  the  great  ones  of  the  past 
who  walk  with  us  no  more.  A  page  from  this 
sketch,  which  Mr.  Thacher  calls  "A  Living 
Church,"  may  well  form  the  closing  of  this 
paper: 

"During  the  last  year  of  the  life  of  Mr. 
Ames,  an  associate  minister  was  installed,  the 
third  and  present  minister,  Abraham  Mitrie 
Rihbany.  In  him  seems  to  abide  the  spirit  of 
those  who  went  before,  and  under  the  inspira- 
tion of  his  leadership  the  society  continues  its 
career  of  usefulness  and  beneficence.  All  the 
branches  of  its  activity  are  fully  alive,  while 
the  words  spoken  from  its  pulpit  each  Sunday 
are  quite  worthy  of  comparison  with  the  past, 
and  are  well  fitted  to  meet  the  conditions  and 
demands  of  the  present  day.  The  Oriental 
element  in  the  minister  lends  a  wonderful 
charm  to  his  words,  and  his  interpretations  of 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         801 

Scripture,  and  its  imagery,  are  revelations  of 
clearness  and  beauty.  May  his  worthy  minis- 
try be  a  long  one,  and  be  fraught  with  ever- 
growing success! 

"As  one  contemplates  the  history  of  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  of  what  Edward  Everett 
Hale  called  "this  matchless  church,"  what  a 
host  of  noted  men  and  women  are  called  to 
mind  I  Among  the  immortal  forty- three  whose 
names  follow  that  of  James  Freeman  Clarke 
on  the  Church  Book,  April  27,  1841,  are  those 
of  Nathaniel  Peabody,  his  wife  and  three 
daughters,  Elizabeth  P.,  Sophia  (Mrs.  Haw- 
thorne) ,  and  Mary  (Mrs.  Horace  Mann) ;  Dr. 
Walter  Channing  and  George  Gibbs  Chan- 
ning,  brothers  of  Dr.  William  Ellery  Chan- 
ning; Dr.  Samuel  Cabot,  his  wife  and  her 
nieces,  the  Misses  Cary,  afterward  well  known 
as  Mrs.  Agassiz  and  Mrs.  Felton;  Ellis  Gray 
Loring  and  his  large-hearted  wife ;  Lucy  God- 
dard,  who,  among  her  many  acts  of  service, 
gave  herself  unsparingly,  till  the  infirmities  of 
age  prevented,  to  the  decoration  of  the  pulpit, 
in  which  she  showed  exquisite  taste;  Mrs.  Isa- 
bella M.  Weld,  who  lived  to  see  the  society 
move  into  its  present  home,  and  whose  interest 
never  flagged,  notwithstanding  her  great  age; 
and  Henry  Williams,  a  well  known  and  much 


802  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

loved  teacher  in  Boston.  Very  soon  John 
Albion  Andrew  became  an  active  member. 
Prominent  among  the  Sunday-school  workers, 
besides  Mr.  Andrew,  may  be  mentioned  Caro- 
line Healey  Dall,  Georgina  Lowell  Putnam, 
and  her  cousins,  Charles  and  James  Putnam, 
and  Mrs.  James  T.  Fields.  Some  of  the  men 
who  assisted  the  minister  in  the  pulpit,  on  oc- 
casion, were  George  William  Bond,  Judge 
Charles  Allen,  and  Darwin  E.  Ware. 

"One  recalls  two  conspicuous  and  striking 
figures  in  the  West  Brookline  Street  congre- 
gations during  the  years  when  the  attendance 
was  large  and  seats  not  easily  found  for  late 
comers.  These  were  J.  Huntington  Wolcott, 
father  of  the  Governor,  who,  with  snowy  hair 
and  beard,  sat  in  one  of  the  front  pews;  and, 
in  the  body  of  the  church,  the  fine,  strong  coun- 
tenance of  Henry  Bromfield  Rogers.  In  later 
years  the  handsome  figure  of  Governor  Wol- 
cott himself  was  not  infrequently  seen,  sitting 
with  his  mother. 

"Many  remarkable  women  have  belonged  to 
this  church,  besides  those  already  named.  Of 
the  earlier  ones  were  those  rare  spirits,  the  min- 
ister's mother,  Rebecca  Hall  Clarke,  his  wife, 
Anna  Huidekoper  Clarke,  and  his  sister, 
Sarah   Clarke,   the   latter   a   talented   artist. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         803 

There  were  also  Frances  and  Margaret  Storer, 
Mrs.  Henry  Williams,  Elizabeth  S.  Wells, 
Madam  Goddard,  'always  so  true  and  ardent 
a  friend' ;  Susan  T.  Hillard,  *the  most  unselfish 
of  human  beings'  and  Barbara  Channing, 
'whose  life  was  an  act  of  steady  generosity/ 
These  tributes  were  paid  by  Mr.  Clarke  him- 
self, and  no  one  knew  them  better  than  he. 
Then  came  another  group  of  remarkable  wo- 
men, Abby  W.  May,  Julia  Ward  Howe,  Lucia 
M.  Peabody,  Lucretia  Crocker,  and  Mary 
Hemenway. 

"Any  record  of  the  women  of  the  Church  of 
the  Disciples  would  be  incomplete  without  the 
name  of  Marion  Josephine  Page.  Her  life 
was  bound  up  in  all  that  concerned  it,  and  her 
memory  is  enshrined  in  many  hearts. 

"Time  and  space  would  fail  one  to  tell  of  the 
Bowditches,  Chapins,  Calls,  Crufts,  Higgin- 
sons.  Lodges,  Mays,  Tolmans  and  many  more 
besides,  a  shining  throng !  A  re  not  their  names 
written  in  the  Book  of  Life?  *Yea,  saith  the 
spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors; 
and  their  works  do  follow  them.'  " 


304  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

THE  DISCIPLES  SCHOOL 

The  establishment  of  the  Disciples  School 
early  in  Dr.  Ames's  ministry  was  due  largely 
to  two  forces:  the  active  devotion  and  wise 
management  of  Mrs.  Clara  B.  Beatley  and 
the  interest  and  encouragement  of  both  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Ames. 

As  a  teacher  of  training  and  experience, 
Mrs.  Beatley  had  a  vision  of  what  a  church 
school  should  be,  and  recognized  the  principles 
which  were  fundamental  to  her  ideas.  These 
ideas  made  the  school  unique  from  the  begin- 
ning. Every  plan  for  the  school  was  educa- 
tional, the  interest  and  development  of  the 
children  being  always  the  first  consideration. 
At  the  annual  meetings  of  the  church,  an  ap- 
propriation made  for  the  expenses  of  the 
school  made  possible  the  selection  of  teachers 
and  officers  well  trained  for  their  tasks,  to 
whom  an  honorarium  was  given  each  year.  This 
was  the  first  instance  of  its  kind,  and  so  far  as 
is  known  the  only  one  where  the  appropriation 
for  the  church  school  exceeded  that  for  the 
music  of  the  church,  which  is  usually  consid- 
ered of  greater  importance.  In  organizing, 
each  class  remained  with  a  teacher  two  years, 
and  graduated  into  the  advanced  class  with 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         805 

appropriate  exercises  and  recognition  at  the 
end  of  the  senior  year.  The  advanced  class 
later  became  the  adult  class.  But  the  organ- 
ization was  not  completed  by  the  classification 
of  pupils  and  the  arrangement  of  a  course  of 
study.  Each  class  was  a  club  and  actively  in- 
terested in  some  social  service  carefully  chosen 
with  regard  to  the  group  of  pupils  to  be 
taught.  The  social  affairs  of  the  school  also 
entered  into  the  plan,  and  preparations  were 
regularly  made  and  carried  out  for  four  par- 
ties a  year.  The  joy  of  the  participants  was 
the  test  of  the  success  of  these  good  times. 

The  devotional  spirit  and  training  has  been 
always  emphasized.  The  exercises  of  the 
school  have  been  much  enriched  by  the  services 
written  for  them  by  Mrs.  Beatley,  and  by  her 
book  of  collected  poems,  "Apples  of  Gold," 
which  is  of  great  inspirational  value  to  teach- 
ers and  pupils.  This  collection  has  been  the 
source  of  many  fine  quotations  memorized  and 
often  repeated  during  the  sessions  of  the  year. 
Both  the  book  and  the  services  have  had  a  wide 
circulation. 

Thus  the  school  was  started,  a  pioneer  move- 
ment of  its  kind.  Thus  it  has  progressed 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  during  which 
time  Mrs.  Beatley  has  shaped  the  policy  of  the 


306  SKETCHES    OF    SOME     HISTORIC 

school  and  has  been  its  directing  spirit,  either 
as  principal  or  as  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  education.  During  this  administration, 
"Association  Day"  for  acquainting  the  young 
people  with  the  work  of  our  American  Uni- 
tarian Association  has  been  established,  and 
"Andrew  Day,"  in  memory  of  John  A. 
Andrew,  has  been  celebrated  by  presenting 
annually  a  portrait  of  the  great  war  Governor 
to  a  public  school  of  Boston.  Twenty  por- 
traits have  been  given.  The  statement  of  Our 
Faith,  taken  from  the  sermon  of  James  Free- 
man Clarke  on  "The  Five  Points  of  the  New 
Theology,"  was  first  put  forth  by  this  school. 
So  by  teaching  and  inspiring  teachers  and 
pupils,  by  never  neglecting  opportunities  for 
progress  while  holding  to  the  ideals  which  were 
prominent  in  the  beginning,  Mrs.  Beatley  has 
made  the  Disciples  School  an  important  ally 
of  the  church  and  a  power  for  religious  edu- 
cation in  the  lives  of  all  who  are  connected 
with  it. 


CHURCHES    OF    GREATER    BOSTON         807 
MAGNOLIAS 

TO     J.  F.  C.  BY    C.  B.  B. 

For  thee  thine  own  magnolias  rare, 
These  blossoms  rosy  purple  bright. 

All  white  within  like  lilies  fair; 
How  wonderful  the  sight ! 

Each  Maytime  blooms  this  radiant  tree. 
Perchance  in  answer  to  thy  smile; 

Blest  messages  descend  from  thee. 
To  cheer  our  hearts  awhile. 

They  bid  believe  "What  God'*  once  "gives 

He  gives  forever"  to  his  child; 
In  faith  and  hope  and  love  still  lives 

His  mercy  ever  mild. 

They  bid  us  lift  our  hearts  in  prayer, 
To  face  our  lives  with  strength  and  grace ; 

O  brave  magnolia  blooms  so  rare, 
Our  glad  thanksgiving  trace ! 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


iONov'SlMT 


MAR  111970  13 


Sq^ 


R^C^OU^ 


% 


8  mi 


(S 


4 


NOVl'^^i'^^'^' 


^ 


M 


NOV    5 '66 -12 


^^y^ 


A^£§2! 


v'^¥ 


■^Mn\:r:' 


m 


(Cl795sl0)476B 


recai 


ftB% 


neral  Library 
niversity  of  California 
Berkeley 


RETURN  TO  the  circulation  desl<  of  any 
University  of  California  Library 
or  to  the  ~ 
NORTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
BIdg.  400,  Richmond  Field  Station 
University  of  California 
Richmond,  CA  94804-4698 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

•  2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 
(510)642-6753 

•  1  -year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing 
books  to  NRLF 

•  Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4 
days  prior  to  due  date. 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


SEP    41999 


12,000(11/95) 


n   i 


f:|:,|jli||i|| 

Ifll 


!! 


mm 


■'ill' 

Mmii 


